


Through Friendship And Beyond

by Golddude22



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:08:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 95,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23279104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golddude22/pseuds/Golddude22
Summary: When Anakin returns to the temple after the battle of Naboo he is thrust straight into temple life and is left struggling with the lessons he is taking, until a young initiate by the name of Barriss Offee offers to help him.Quickly becoming fast friends, as they grow older together they realize that they care more about each other than Jedi should.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker & Luminara Unduli, Barriss Offee & Anakin Skywalker, Barriss Offee & Luminara Unduli, Barriss Offee/Anakin Skywalker, CC-5052 | Bly/Aayla Secura, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555/Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Barriss Offee, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Luminara Unduli, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Luminara Unduli, Padmé Amidala/CT-7567 | Rex
Comments: 196
Kudos: 233





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part of the series I'm planning to write.  
> The POV will be mainly Barriss and Anakin, with the occasional other character as needed.
> 
> Edit. At some point I'll get round to editing these early chapters so the quality is consistent with the rest of the work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set just after they return from Naboo.
> 
> Anakin is 9  
> Barriss is 6

Anakin loved his new life, really, he did. Regular meals, a warm bed, training to be a Jedi. It was great. But if he'd known how much studying was involved he might have reconsidered it.

First had been the assessment tests, working out what he knew and what he needed to learn, then there had been the placement tests, to decide what classes he should be placed in, now he was doing all the remedial exams,to bring his education up to galactic standard. It was going well, all things considered, he was passing all his classes, well, all but one, Galactic History.

Which was why he was sitting in the library at almost 7 p.m, trying to research the Formation of the Galactic Republic before the test the next morning.

He groaned in frustration as he came to the end of yet another holo book without finding what he was looking for, it wouldn't be so bad if he could actually find the holo books he needed, but the library was massive and the librarian didn't seem to like him.

When he finished the last of a stack of books he'd thought might have helped, without finding anything useful, he pushed it aside and slumped over the desk with a defeated sigh and began seriously considering calling it a night when a voice spoke.

“Umm, excuse me, are you alright?” it asked.

* * *

Barriss loved living in the temple, ever since she'd been brought here from the orphanage on Mirial, her life had been so much better, especially having the chance to learn anything she wanted, which was great and she was always the top of her classes, though that made the others in her crèche jealous and not like her, still, she didn't mind not having friends, well not to much, and it gave her more time to read.

Her teachers however, were concerned and encouraged her to interact more with her fellow younglings, but they just teased her and called her names, so she tried to avoid them as much as possible.

That was why, at almost 7 p.m, she was sneaking off to the library when she should be getting ready for bed. She often came here at night, it was usually empty and she could get an hour or two of quite reading while she waited for her crèche mates to go to sleep.

Arriving at the library, she decided she wanted to read some history tonight and made her way over to that section.

After five minutes of browsing she had narrowed down her choices to The Greatest Events of the Galactic Republic and A brief History of the Mandalorian-Jedi War and was just about to make the final decision when she felt a wave of frustration coming from the study area. Pausing, she debated whether or not to investigate, and when a stronger wave followed it shortly after, her curiosity got the better of her and she went to see what was up.

She rounded the corner and saw a young boy slumped over the desk he was using, frustration and despair radiating from him. For a moment she considered leaving him alone, but when she felt the resignation pulse from him she stepped closer.

“Umm, excuse me, are you alright?” she asked.

The boy jolted upright and turned to face her, he seemed to assess her for a moment before responding.

“Yeah, I'm just trying to finish my essay on The Formation of the Galactic Republic but....” he said, another wave of frustration coming off him.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

* * *

“...Anything I can do to help?”

Anakin snorted, this little girl, who couldn't be more than six was asking if she could help with his history essay.

“No” he replied “unless you know where I can find some books on the Founding of the Galactic Republic”

Her face went thoughtful for a moment, then she smiled brightly at him.

“I'll be right back” she said, before practically skipping away.

She returned in no time with an armful of books, placed them on the desk beside him and climbed up on a chair. She then began to organise the books as she described in almost loving detail what could be found in one and which ones would be best to start with, before going to explain what she thought about The Formation of the Galactic Republic and how it was better than the old republic.

He stared at her for a moment, then he grabbed his datapad and began typing notes of what she was saying.

After about ten minutes she stopped and flushed bright red.

“Sorry, sometimes I get a bit carried away” she muttered.

He smiled at her.

“That's fine” he said “I've learnt more in the last ten minutes than in the last five hours”

She flushed brighter and mumbled something.

“Yes, I mean it” he said, guessing what she'd said “ I've been struggling with this for days now and you've helped me sort it out in ten minutes, so thank you” he finished, turning slightly red himself.

“I'm Anakin, by the way” he continued, holding out his hand.

* * *

“I'm Barriss” she said, taking it, then feeling emboldened, she asked.

“I haven't seen you before, are you new here?”

“Yeah” he replied “I've only been here a few weeks”

“Wow, I thought the Jedi didn't take older children” she replied.

“No, they don't normally, the council didn't want to train me, but my master said he'd train me whatever they said, so they had to let me in” he said and she could feel a mixture of bitterness and pride from him at that statement.

“Your master?, so you're a Padawan already” she asked.

“Yeah, well technically, I have to pass the Padawan trials before I can use the title, but Master Obi-wan said I'll be his Padawan no matter what”

“Wow” she said “you must be really good to get chosen so young”

“Umm, I'm not really, but Master Qui-gon said I might be the chosen one from some prophecy so they had to train me” he said, glancing at her to see her reaction.

She looked at him with confusion.

“Chosen one?” she asked.

“You don't know?” he asked looking delighted.

“No” she retorted, annoyed “should I?”

“No” he replied, patting her consolingly on the arm. “It's just, the first thing anyone says to me is, So you're the chosen one? And they all expect me to be some great Jedi when I can't even finish my history tests”

“Well that's not so bad” she said “it just takes time to learn and you haven't been here very long anyway, so why should they expect you do be able to do everything?”

“I know” he said with feeling “and then when I can't do it they're always disappointed, or smug”

Then he sighed “I just don't want to fail Master Obi-wan, he's the only one apart from Master Qui-gon who's stood up for me”

“Then don't” Barriss said firmly “do the best you can and he'll be happy, no matter what anyone else says”

“Hmm, I suppose your right” he said and was quiet for a bit.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked after a while.

“Sure” she responded.

“How long have you been here?” he asked, gesturing around.

“Umm, almost three years now” she said.

“Cool” he replied “and your family didn't mind sending you away?”

“Oh, umm, I didn't have a family, the Jedi found me in an orphanage” she said quietly.

“Oh, I'm sorry” Anakin said and Barriss just nodded, before asking “what about you, did you leave any family behind?”

Anakin nodded” Just..just my mother” he said, his throat tightening “but when I'm a proper Jedi I'm going to go back and free her” he added, not looking at her.

“Free her?” she asked.

“She's a slave, I was as well until Master Qui-gon freed me” he said, sneaking a glance at her, she looked shocked.

“You were a slave” she whispered “how did he free you?”

“Well” he began and launched into a recounting of the day an angel had walked into his master's shop, then he told her about the podrace and winning and Qui-gon telling him he was free and the trip to Coruscant, then to Naboo and the battle in space above Naboo and how he destroyed the droid control ship and Qui-gon's funeral after the battle.

“....and then there was a big party afterwards and after that we came back to the temple” he finished.

“Wow” Barriss said, her eye's huge.

“Yeah” Anakin said with a smile “now I should probably finish this” he pointed at the datapad he was using.

“Oh, right” she said, looking disappointed and got to her feet “I'll, Umm, leave you to it” and started walking away.

“Wait” Anakin called and she spun around. “You don't have to go, I, Umm, might need some more help”

She was frozen for a moment, then a huge grin spread across her face.

“Alright then” she said and jumped back into her chair “What are you up to?”

* * *

What could he be up to, Obi-wan thought to himself as he followed their training bond down the temple halls, it was after 9 p.m and the only thing that had kept him out that late at that age was when he, Quinlan and Luminara when they could persuade her, snuck out to get up to mischief.

He paused as he passed the library. Odd, he thought, what was he still doing here, he'd known Anakin was going to study, but that had been hours ago and he couldn't recall a time when Anakin had studied for more than an hour without needing to do something physical.

Following their bond he headed to the back of the library. When he reached the end of the aisle, he stopped and peaked around the corner and smiled at what he saw.

Anakin was hunched over a datapad, surrounded by holo books while a Mirialian youngling gave suggestions as she lay on a neighbouring desk.

After watching for several minutes, in which the girl gave several commands and Anakin said something back which made her giggle, Obi-wan stepped from behind the shelf.

“Ahh, there you are Anakin” He said with a smile as he approached.

Both of them jumped and turned to him, Anakin glancing at his chrono as he did, he shot to his feet when he realised the time.

“Master, I'm sorry, I didn't realise how late it was” he said.

“That's quite alright Anakin, as long as you've used the time productively”

“I have Master” he rushed out “and with Barriss's help I even finished my history essay”

Barriss flushed at that, climbing off the desk and standing, staring at her feet.

“Well, thank you Barriss” Obi-wan said seriously “You've managed a great feat, getting Anakin to study for more than an hour”

Anakin spluttered indignantly and Barriss let out a small giggle and looked up at Obi-wan.

“You're welcome, Master Obi-wan” she said, then she glanced at Anakin with a smile “it was fun”

Anakin smiled back “Yes, it's most fun I've ever had studying”

“Well, that's good to hear” Obi-wan said. “now, Anakin, you need to get some rest, you've got your exams tomorrow”

“Urgh, alright, I'll just help Barriss put these away” Anakin said.

“Alright then, I'll meet you at the entrance” Obi-wan said before walking away.

They quickly gathered up all the holo books and Barriss led the way back to where she'd found them. Once they were put away they made their way to the entrance.

“Umm, see you tomorrow?” Anakin asked nervously “if you're not to busy with your other friends”

“I won't be” she said quietly “I don't have any friends”

“Oh” Anakin said “well, you have me now”

She turned to look at him and he could see the hope in her eyes.

“You want to be my friend?” she asked softly.

“Of course” he replied.

Barriss's face lit up with her biggest smile yet and she seemed to think about something for a moment before wrapping her arms around him quickly before stepping away and taking off down the hall.

“Bye” she called out as she ran.

“Bye” Anakin replied, a happy smile on his face.

“Come on” Obi-wan said, placing a hand on his shoulder and steering him towards their quarters.

When they arrived Anakin let out a huge yawn before saying goodnight to Obi-wan and retiring to his room.

That night Barriss and Anakin fell asleep happier than either could ever recall being, now that they had a real friend at the temple.

* * *

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Anakin made his way down to the classrooms and after a deep breath, stepped inside. The room was almost empty, with only three other initiates waiting. He took a seat near the back of the room and waited for the exam to begin.

Five hours later, he emerged with a far higher score than he'd hoped to achieve. He rushed back to his room, barely pausing to put his bag away before he was hurrying down to the library, excited to tell Barriss how he did.

When he got there, he saw her waiting near the entrance, worry radiating from her, it was replaced with relief when she saw him and she hurried over.

He grabbed her with a hug when she was close enough.

“So, it went well?” she asked when he let her go.

“Yeah, far better than I was expecting, thanks to you” he replied “I got an 85”

“Oh, that's.... good” Barriss said.

“No, it's great” Anakin said with a grin “my last score was only 28, so it's a massive improvement”

Barriss's eyes widened in shock and Anakin laughed.

“Come on, let's do something fun” he suggested.

“Alright” Barriss replied.

So they spent the rest of the day playing games and reading holo books, only stopping when Obi-wan comes looking for them.

And as the months passed, they spent as much time as they could together and before long they consider themselves best friends, trusting each other more than anyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you liked it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 years later.
> 
> Anakin is 11  
> Barriss is 8  
> Aayla is 14

"So how'd it go?" Anakin asked as Barriss sat down beside him.  
  
"Pretty well," she replied, she'd just taken her initiate tests and had passed them with top marks, but Anakin knew she'd do well so she didn't need to provide details.  
  
"What's that?" she added pointing at his plate.  
  
He picked up the odd looking spiky ball.  
  
"It's a kind of fruit, from Felucia I think," he said "And they're actually quite nice."  
  
"I'll take your word for it" she replied, turning to her own plate. She was just starting on her soup when she felt a spike of amusement from Anakin, she looked up and followed his gaze to a Togrutan youngling struggling to cut up her steak with a knife and fork.

His amusement turned into a snort when she decided to abandon the cutlery and just pick up the meat and rip off a hunk with her teeth.

As she was going for a second bite she saw them watching.  
  
Barriss gave what she hoped was a friendly smile and the girl stared at her for a moment before sticking her tongue out at her and very deliberately biting off another piece.

She heard Anakin snort again and looked away, returning to her lunch.  
  
“So what did the Chancellor want?” she asked between bites.  
  
“Umm,” he replied, his mouth full “I don't really know, he just asked Master Obi-wan and I to come see him and spent most of the time asking how I was liking the order and things like that” he said once he'd swallowed.

“Strange,” Barriss mused.  
  


“Yeah, I'm sure he means well but... he kinda makes me uncomfortable,” he said.  
  


“It's like he-” he continued but was interrupted by the arrival of a blue Twi'lek.

“Hey Aayla,” he said as she sat down.

“Anakin," she nodded “Who's this?”

“This is Barriss, my best friend,” Anakin said.

Barriss blushed and muttered a hello.

“She's just passed her initiate trials” Anakin added proudly.

“Ahh, so you'll be going on your gathering soon?” Aayla asked.

Barriss nodded.

“This is Aayla Secura by the way, Padawan to Master Vos, one of my master's friends,” he said to Barriss.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Aayla said with a smile, before turning back to Anakin.

“Are you ready for sparing practice after?” she asked, starting on her lunch.

Anakin nodded.

“I've been practising that move you showed me, Obi-wan says it's almost perfect”  
  
“Really?” Aayla said sceptically, raising an eyebrow marking.  
  


“Yes,” Anakin said seriously, of all his lessons, the one thing he excelled at was sparing and saber forms.

“Well then, I'm looking forward to seeing it,” she replied, then she turned her gaze to Barriss.

“Would you like to watch me kick his butt?” she asked.

“Umm, sure,” she giggled, with a glance at Anakin who rolled his eyes but nodded and added “It'll be very educational.”

Barriss smiled.

They finished the rest of their lunch in silence, then Aayla got to her feet.

“Alright Skywalker, lets see what you're made of.”  
  


Anakin and Barriss got up as well.

“You're going down this time Secura,” he replied.

Aayla snorted “In your dreams” she shot back as the three of them left the commissary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 years later.
> 
> Anakin is 13  
> Barriss is 10

“Come on, you need to eat something”

“I'm not hungry” Barriss muttered, pushing her plate away.

“You'll think better on a full stomach” Anakin pleaded “trust me I know”  
  


“I'm too nervous to eat” she replied, looking like she was going to throw up.

“Why?, you're going to do great, you're the smartest person I know and you've studied all the subjects to death, you don't need to worry” he stated.

“Don't need to worry? Of course I do, if I fail these trials I'm going to be sent to the agricorps, you don't know what it's like you've never had to do them!” she said irritably.

Anakin, use to Barriss's out bursts when she's stressed just nodded.

“That's true, but you've passed every other test at the top of your class” he replied quietly, then, because he knew distractions worked well at helping her relax, he added “if you want to worry about something worry about me”

“Why would I do that?” she asked with a smirk.

“Because, in two weeks I take the Padawan trials and if I pass those I'm aloud to go on missions”

“So?” she said.

“So” Anakin smirked “ I'm going to be sent off around the galaxy with nothing but my training and my lightsaber for protection” he said and he let some of the nerves and worry he was feeling leak out.

Barriss considered something before responding.

“I think you'll be fine, you're great at everything and the best Padawan with a lightsaber in the temple, besides you'll have Obi-wan as well” she added with a smile.

“Thanks” he said quietly, patting her on the shoulder, then he glanced at his chrono and got up.

“I've got to run, so good luck and I'll come and see you once you're done”

“Alright, bye” she said.

He waved back and left the commissary.

She watch the doorway for a while before grabbing a piece of fruit from her plate and leaving to head to her first test.

* * *

Hours later, Barriss stood waiting in the library, barely keeping her composure as she waited for Anakin. When he arrived shortly after she threw her self into his arms, releasing all the pent up emotions she let no one but him see.  
  
“I failed my saber forms” she sobbed “and if I don't show improvement at the reassessment I'll be sent to the agricorps”

“But I thought you were doing great with your form?” Anakin said, patting her soothingly on the back.

“So did I” she cried “But the instructor said it was wooden and lacking any skill at all and that he'd never seen such a dismal performance of Soresu”

“What!” Anakin gasped “I've seen you run drills and you've always preformed well”

Barriss didn't respond, instead she just squeezed him tighter.

“Who was the instructor?” he asked.

“Master Krell” she said more calmly.

“Ahh” Anakin said “well that explains it”  
  
“Why?” Barriss asked, looking up at him.

“Because Master Krell fails you for anything less than perfection and he hates children” Anakin said, then he laughed “when I had him he told me he'd seen rocks with more potential”

“He didn't” she gasped.

“Yeah” Anakin sighed, smiling at the memory “but Obi-wan heard it and gave him a piece of his mind”

“That must have been entertaining” Barriss said with a watery smile.

“It was”

Barriss gave a laugh which changed into a sob and Anakin pulled her close again.

“What am I going to do?” she asked softly.

“How long till the reassessment?”

“Two weeks” she responded.

“Ok, that's plenty of time, I'll help you train”

“But you've got your trials coming up, you're not going to have time” she whispered.

“Barriss, you're my best friend, I'll always make time for you, no matter what” he stated firmly “So tomorrow, I'll meet you in the Salle after lunch and we'll practice, ok? ” he finished.

“Ok” she said, relaxing now that there was a plan.

“And I could probably persuade Master Obi-wan to help as well”

“Really?” she asked hopefully, because Obi-wan was considered a master in her chosen form.

“Sure, he likes you” Anakin replied with a smile “now lets get something to eat, I'm starving”

“What were you doing?” she asked as they left the library.

“Oh just training mainly, and Obi-wan wanted to get out of the temple so we went over to the Galactic Plaza, and then the Chancellor wanted to see us again”

“What for this time?”

“I don't know, he just asked how my training was going and wanted me to stop by alone later, but I told him I had too much training to do for my up coming tests”

“Weird” Barriss said as they continued down the hall.

* * *

The next day, after lunch they met up at the training Salles.

Barriss was surprised to see Obi-wan there as well when she walked in.

“Master Kenobi” she said, bowing slightly as she entered.

“Hello Barriss” he replied “Anakin told me what happened and said you'd like some help with your form”

Barriss nodded.

“Alright then, let's begin, Anakin you too” he began “run through the form so I can see what we're working with”

They moved to the middle of the room and ignited their sabers, before they began going through all the forms positions and moves while Obi-wan observed.

Once they'd finished Obi-wan beaconed them over.

“Your basic form is fine and your advanced form, while a bit jerky, is fine for an initiate, I don't see why you were failed”

“I told you” Anakin whispered.

Barriss nodded and sighed in relief, if Master Obi-wan said her form was alright then she should have no problems in the reassessment.

“What I do suggest” Obi-wan continued “is running through them slower so you can iron out the jerkiness, then add speed once you've done so”

“Like this” he added stepping out into the room and slowly running through the form.

It was no wonder he was considered a master of Soresu Barriss thought, watching his graceful movements enviously as he effortlessly ran through the form, like a dancer from one of the ballet's shown on the holonet.

As an image of Obi-wan dancing round in a blue leotard popped into her head she felt amusement from beside and glanced at Anakin to find him smirking at her.

“Shut up” she muttered, blushing furiously, it seemed like they could sense more and more from each other as they grew older, especially when they let their guard down.

Shaking herself, she returned her gaze to Obi-wan as he finished the last set and turned to them.

“So” he said “lets see you run them again”

* * *

For the next two weeks Barriss spent as much time as she could practising, Anakin joined her as often as he could while still study for his own trials, together they spent hours running through the form until she could do them without even thinking.

Finally the day of the evaluation arrived and she found herself sitting, bleary eyed, in the commissary with Anakin, both of them staring nervously at their breakfast without speaking.

After half an hour of barely touching their food they get up.

“Good luck” Barriss whispered, giving him a hug.

“You too” he replied, looking sick, before leaving to go to his assessments while Barriss, who still had three hours before her reassessment made her way down to the training salles for some last minute practice until it was time.

At the appointed hour, she stopped outside the doors and spent a moment calming herself before opening the door and walking into the middle of the room.

As she took in the waiting Masters she saw, to her immense relief that Krell was not among them.

Feeling almost light hearted now she knew Krell would not be grading her, she bowed to the Masters and took her ready position.

“Begin” one said and she ignited her saber.

* * *

An hour later, Barriss walked sedately from the room, thanking the Masters for their time as she left. Once the doors closed however, she took off running, excitement building as ran to find Anakin.

He was waiting at their usual spot with Obi-wan in the library and when he saw her a huge grin spread across his face.

When she was close enough she launched herself at him.

“I take it it went well” Obi-wan said dryly.

“Yep” she replied, climbing down from Anakin “I got top marks, thanks to you two”

“I don't know about that” Obi-wan said modestly “but I'm glad you passed, you're going to make a great Jedi one day”

Barriss blushed and muttered something, before turning to Anakin.

“How'd you do?” she asked and Anakin's grin widened.

“Great” he said “almost perfect score”

“Wow” Barriss replied.

“Yeah” Anakin replied, bursting with excitement “and now we're going to be assigned missions”

“How about something to celebrate the occasion” Obi-wan said “Why don't we go down to Dex's and get some Nerf milkshakes?”

“Yes!” Barriss shouted in delight, while Anakin nodded his agreement.

“Alright then, let's go” he said and led the way down to the hanger, Barriss and Anakin talking excitedly amongst themselves.

He was just signing out a speeder when another Jedi joined them.

“Hello Obi-wan” she said with a smile.

“Luminara!” Obi-wan exclaimed, turning around “it's good to see you again, how was Ord Mantel”

“Far to much blaster fire for my liking” she replied, before turning her gaze to Anakin and Barriss and raising an eyebrow.

“You remember Anakin?” Obi-wan said.

“Yes” she said “though he's a lot taller than when we last met”

“Yes he is” Obi-wan replied with a smile “and this is Barriss” he added “she just passed her senior initiate trials and Anakin has just been cleared for missions so we're going out to celebrate”

“Ahh, congratulations” Luminara said.

“Thank you” Anakin and Barriss replied.

Anakin glanced at Obi-wan and sent him a thought via their bond, at Obi-wan's slight nod he asked.

“Would you like to join us?”

“I suppose I could, if Obi-wan doesn't mind” Luminara replied.

“I don't mind” Obi-wan said quickly, turning faintly pink, to Barriss and Anakin's great amusement.

“Alright then” Luminara smiled.

So the four of them climbed into the speeder and took off for Dex's.

On the way, Luminara, who was in the front turned around to talk to Anakin and Barriss.

“How are you finding your training?” she asked.

“Challenging but enjoyable” Anakin responded.

“And what about you Barriss” she added.

Barriss looked surprised but answered.

“Enjoyable” she said “but I wish they'd be a bit harder sometimes”  
  


“Harder?” Luminara asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes” she began animately “My galactic history classes are still only covering the basics of republic history and I've read all that ages ago and the science classes are the same so I've been making up my own lesson plans so I-” she cut herself off, looking embarrassed.

“Sorry, sometimes I get carried away”

Luminara laughed.

“That's quite alright Barriss, it's good to see you care so much about your education”

“That's why she the smartest in her year” Anakin added, looking shrewdly at Luminara.

“I don't doubt it” Luminara said with another laugh, turning to face the front again, missing Barriss shooting Anakin a death glare and Anakin totally ignoring it.

* * *

Master Unduli was nice Barriss thought as their drinks arrived and she took a deep breath of the heavenly scent rising off her caramel and cinnamon milkshake, topped with whipped cream and Dex had even grated chocolate over it.

Very nice, she corrected as she gave her a wink over her own chocolate and caf milkshake.

Letting out a happy sigh, she slowly started drinking her drink, savouring each delicious sip and grinning sideways at Anakin, who had somehow already managed to get his face covered in the pink froth from his drink.

For a while they just sat there and enjoying their drinks and talking about their training, past missions, places they'd been, places they wanted to see and Luminara even told them some stories about the things she and Obi-wan had gotten up to when they were their age, much to their delight and Obi-wan's embarrassment.

Just before they were about to leave, Barriss worked up the courage to ask the question she'd been wanting to ask since they arrived.

“How did you get your tattoo's” she asked quietly.

Luminara eyed her thoughtfully for a moment before responding.

“My master gave them to me when I became his apprentice, as will your master when you become a padawan”

“Oh, ok” Barriss replied.

“Right” Obi-wan said standing up “we'd better get going, the council want to see us early tomorrow and we don't want to keep them waiting again do we Anakin?”

Anakin snorted, then covered it up with a cough, that had only happened because the last time his Master's friend, Master Vos, had been in the temple they'd gone out to celebrate something and hadn't returned till it was almost morning, with Master Vos carrying a dishevelled and rather drunk Obi-wan.

“No, we don't Master” Anakin replied with a grin, Barriss was also smiling as Anakin had told her the story.

The ride back to the temple was made in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Once they'd returned, they wished Luminara goodnight and headed for their quarters.

Only Obi-wan noticed how Luminara watched Barriss speculatively as they walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, leave a comment if you enjoyed it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 years later.
> 
> Anakin is 15  
> Barriss is 12

Barriss stood impatiently at the hanger entrance, waiting for Anakin's shuttle to arrive so she could tell him her exciting news.

He'd commed her last night saying he'd be returning today after a 3 month long mission and she was so excited she'd almost told him then, but she'd contained herself, barely.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only 20 minutes, their shuttle came into view, making it's final approach. It came in at an agonizingly slow speed Barriss thought, before it finally deployed it's landing struts and settled gently onto the pad.

Barriss was moving towards it before the engines shut off.

She waited as patiently as she could while the ramp was lowered, then Anakin came bounding down followed by Obi-wan at a much more dignified pace.

She rushed forward as he spotted her, a grin spreading across his face as he dropped his bag and she wrapped her arms around him, he did the same and they stood there for a moment, enjoying it.

“Good to see you too” Anakin said eventually, releasing her and stepping back.

“Yeah, 3 months is far too long to be gone” she replied.

“Yes, it is” he said with a sigh “you look like you might have actually grown this time” he added with a smile.

“I have” she said indignantly “almost five centimetres”

“Really?” Anakin asked sceptically.

“Yes, it's quite obvious” Obi-wan said.

“Thank you” Barriss said “and it's good to see you too Master Kenobi”

“And you too” Obi-wan replied with a smile, she smiled back before returning her gaze to Anakin, it felt like she might burst if she kept it inside any longer.

“I got chosen as a Padawan” she practically screeched.

Anakin's eye brows rose and a huge grin split his face.

“Wow, congratulations” he said, giving her another hug.

“I know I'm so excited” she said.

“Who chose you?” he asked.

“Master Unduli did” she replied.

“Ahh, I thought she might” Obi-wan said with a smile.

“Oh really” Anakin asked in a teasing tone.

“Yes” Obi-wan replied seriously “She's been keeping an eye on you since we went out that time and before we left she told me that you were one of the most promising initiates she's seen for years and that she was going to ask you to be her Padawan before someone else stole you” Obi-wan continued, with a smile at Barriss, who blushed.

“Now come on, we'll go file our report then after that, we'll find Luminara and go do something to celebrate”

“That sounds great” Anakin said as they left the hanger.

“Yeah, it's been so long since we've done anything together” Barriss added.

“What did you do when you got chosen Master?” Anakin asked curiously.

“Ahh, I'd rather not say” Obi-wan said delicately.

“Why, Is it embarrassing?” Anakin said with a teasing smile.

Obi-wan didn't reply, but he went faintly pink as he remembered what had happened.

“I bet Master Unduli would tell us” Anakin said with a sly grin.

“No, Anakin don't you dare!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, leave a comment if you liked it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4 weeks later.

After their last mission he and Obi-wan had been given 4 weeks of leave, to recoup and relax and give him a chance to catch up on his studies.

At the end of it they'd been called before the the council to receive their next assignment and when he'd seen Barriss and Master Unduli already waiting there he'd been excited because that meant a joint mission.

And the mission briefing made it sound relatively simple, just another mining dispute.

But now, a week into their 2 week journey to Vandor, Anakin was bored out of his mind.

Barriss, on the other hand, seemed to be taking their confinement quite well, spending much of the time meditating, something he always struggled with despite Obi-wan's best efforts.

For a moment he considered disturbing her so they could do something together, but quickly quashed the thought. He was the older Padawan and should be better than that.

And he couldn't even talk to Obi-wan or Master Unduli as they'd said they had a lot to discuss and locked them selves in the tiny conference room hours ago.

So he sat down at the table and tried to entertain himself.

After another hour of mind numbing boredom he finally broke.

“How do you do it?” he asked her.

It took her a moment to respond.

“Do what?” she asked, coming out of her meditation.

“Meditate so easily” he replied.

“Umm...” she thought for a minute “It's mostly just relaxing and clearing your mind, but I also picture myself some where peaceful and soothing, like by a lake or something” she shrugged.

“I can never get it right” he sighed “ I just end up sitting there getting frustrated and trying to force myself to relax”  
  


“Maybe you're using the wrong method for yourself?” she suggested.

“There's another method?” he asked curiously.

“No, not really, but it's what I used to help me at first” she said “come over here and we can try it if you want” she added patting the spot beside her.

“Umm, alright” he said, walking over and taking a seat.

Once he was settled she began, changing the subject from organising her room to droids to better suit Anakin.

“First close your eyes and picture you have a droid in front of you”

“Then, as you relax and quiet your mind, imagine taking the droid apart, slowly, one piece at a time” she continued, in a soft voice, watching as Anakin slowly relaxed and entered the meditative state.

“And once you've taken it apart, put it back together again, one piece at a time”

“Now just run through that cycle for as long as you need too” she finished, watching him for a while longer before beginning her own meditation again and letting their presences entwine as they both relaxed into the force.

Some time later, their masters emerged to check on them and, finding them meditating, left them too it.

* * *

Anakin dove for cover as another hail of blaster fire came towards him.

“Those negotiations were short, even for us” he said mildly as he stood up.

The negotiations with the miners guild and the planetary governors they were suppose to be mediating had lasted barely a day before things turned violent, with hot heads from a faction within the miners guild attacking the government and the Jedi they accused to be in league with them.

Which was why they were now hiding behind an empty cantina while a full scale battle raged around them.

“So this is a regular occurrence for you two?” Luminara asked dryly.

“Not as often as Anakin implies” Obi-wan said tartly, but when Anakin raised an eyebrow he conceded “But yes, they do sometimes turn out like this”

“So what do we do now?” Barriss asked, still looking a bit shocked at how quickly things had deteriorated and glancing between the older Jedi.

When she got to Anakin, she gasped.

“You're bleeding!” she said pointing to his head.

He touched the spot.

“It's just a scratch” he said dismissively.

“What do you think?” he asked Obi-wan.

“I think we need to wait for things to calm down a bit first, then we can try again” He replied with a smile.

* * *

Several days later, with an agreement signed that both sides were happy with, they prepared to depart.

Obi-wan still looked a bit hungover from the party last night so Anakin had volunteered to fly them home.

He was halfway through the pre-flight check when Barriss joined him in the cockpit and sat down in the copilots seat.

He smiled at her and continued with his checks while she watched, once he'd finished she spoke.

“What do you think is up with those two?” she asked, jerking her thumb towards the cabin.

Since the party Obi-wan had been oddly formal towards Luminara while she appeared strangely flustered around him.

“I don't want to think about it” he said with a grimace and sent off a request for take off clearance.

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.

Anakin glanced at her then returned his gaze to the console.

“I'll tell you when you're older” he said with a smirk, as clearance was granted.

He felt annoyance from her at that, which quickly turned contemplative as she considered what he'd said.

He chuckled internally as he waited for her to reach the conclusion he had.

It wasn't long, they'd barely reached the clouds when he felt a surge of embarrassment and grossed-outness from her.

“Told you I didn't want to think about it” he said, laughing while she spluttered.

“What's going on up here?” Obi-wan asked, coming up behind them.

“Nothing Master” Anakin said, in tone that didn't even convince himself “We're almost in orbit, then it's just another two weeks to kill in hyperspace till we get home”

“Wonderful” Obi-wan said dryly.

“Yeah, it'll give you plenty of time to discuss things” Barriss said innocently.

Obi-wan gave them both a sharp look before muttering some excuse and quickly leaving the cockpit.

As soon as the door closed Anakin and Barriss burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 years later.
> 
> Anakin is 17  
> Barriss is 14

Barriss had just completed her essay on stab wounds and internal injuries, which was her last requirement to receive Grade 3 healer status when her Master entered the classroom.

“How's it going?” she asked when Barriss noticed her.

“I've just finished Master” she replied as she stood up and handed her essay to the instructor.

“Barriss has preformed exceptionally well” the instructor added, glancing quickly through it with a smile. “And she'll be able to move straight to Grade 4” she continued, while Barriss flushed with pleasure.

“I'm afraid that will have to wait” Luminara said “we've got a mission”  
  


Barriss's eyes lit up with excitement, though she loved learning, they'd been in the temple for almost 6 months and she was eager to get out.

“What is it this time?” she asked, trying not to let it show.

“A dangerous Zygerrian slaver has begun operating in the mid rim, the local judiciary forces haven't been able to stop him and have requested Jedi aid, so our orders are to put a stop to his operation and arrest him” Luminara said.

Barriss frowned.

“Are just the two of us going to be able to stop him?” she asked as she packed up her books and followed her Master out the door.

“Possibly” Luminara said with a smile “But Master Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker will be joining us”

This time she couldn't contain her excitement, which was accompanied by a strange fluttering in her chest at the thought of working with Anakin again. Pushing that aside, she practically skipped back to their quarters, much to her Master's amusement.

* * *

“So what are we waiting for?” Anakin asked impatiently, as they stood beside the shuttle they'd been assigned for the mission.

“This is a tandem mission, we're waiting for the other Master and Padawan” Obi-wan replied.

“So who are we....” he began, but stopped as two people walked over to them, people he knew very well.

“Master Unduil” he said with barely controlled excitement, giving her a respectful bow.

“Padawan Skywalker” she nodded.

“Barriss” he added flashing her her favourite smile, she smiled back, feeling that flutter again.

“Anakin, it's great to be working with you again”

“Yes it has” he replied with a sigh, it'd been over 12 months since their last mission together.

Obi-wan, who had been talking quietly with Luminara turned to them.

“Come on, let's get under way”

They all nodded and turned to board the shuttle.

“Would you like me to stow your bag?” Anakin asked Luminara.

“Yes, thank you Anakin” she replied, handing it to him.

Once inside, the Masters headed for the cockpit while Barriss and Anakin went put their luggage in their quarters.

After the bags were put away Anakin turned to her and wrapped his arms around her, she returned the hug with a contented sigh, she'd missed him.

“It feels like forever since we last saw each other” she sighed “you've gotten so tall and handsome” she added more to herself, before realising she'd spoken aloud and blushing fiercely.

“Oh, umm, thank you” Anakin muttered, blushing as well “so have you, ahh, gotten more beautiful I mean”

“Really?” she asked, with a shy smile, pulling away from him and stepping back.

“Yes” Anakin said quietly, their eyes locked and she felt a strange tension build between them. She took an unconscious step towards him and the tension grew till it felt like she could cut it with her lightsaber.

Another step and she could kiss him if she wanted too, the thought shocked her, but it also sent a shiver of excitement through her body.

Anakin however, felt confused, Barriss was looking at him with a strange intensity he'd never seen before from her, and he could feel the tension building as she came closer.

Her hands gently came to rest on his shoulders, as her face came closer and closer, till they were almost touching, determination in her eyes as she leaned closer still and-

“ _Anakin, do you still want to fly this one?”_

And just like that the spell was broken, with Barriss jerking away as if burned.

“Yes, I'm coming Master” Anakin said into his comm, giving her one last, searching look, before leaving the room.

Once he'd gone, she sank onto one of the beds and buried her face in her hands.

“You're a Jedi” she told herself “what's wrong with you?”

* * *

The mission itself turned out to be relatively straight forward, once they'd arrived they met with the local judiciary force's Commander, who provided them with all the information they'd managed to gather on the Zygerrians and promised any support he could give.

Then, armed with this information, they spent almost 2 weeks conducting their own intelligence gathering while Barriss tried, without success, to put aside her new found feelings for Anakin and increasingly found herself just watching him until he caught her and flashed her a smile which created butterflies in her chest, before turning back to whatever he was doing.

“You've got it bad” her inner voice that sounded like her Master told her.

She didn't disagree.

Finally, they got a break through.

One of the slavers they were following got careless after a trip to a cantina and led them straight to their base.

Now they lay on the top of a hill over looking the base, waiting for the right time to strike.

“Alright, Commander Devess is standing by with his forces once we confirm that the target is on site” Obi-wan said, putting away his comm. “We'll move in 7 minutes, is everyone clear on the plan?”

Anakin nodded.

“Barriss and I infiltrate the base over the western wall, disable any slavers we encounter quietly, then move to the hanger and disable any ships inside.”

“And once we've done that signal you and Master Luminara so you can move in and arrest the target, while providing any support we can” Barriss added, her focus on the upcoming mission finally pushing aside her distracting thoughts.

“Very good” Luminara said with a smile “now, the watch is about to change so lets move”

Everyone nodded.

“May the force be with you” they said as Barriss and Anakin slipped away into the night, making their way over to the west side, while Obi-wan and Luminara moved to the east to come at the base from the main entrance.

Carefully avoiding the sentries posted on the wall, Barriss and Anakin snuck up to it's base.

“20 seconds” she whispered.

Twenty seconds later, the watch changed and while the guards were distracted they slipped over the wall and jumped down into what looked like a cargo bay.

Moving quickly down the rows of stacked crates and cages, all of them radiating with life, they'd almost reached the hanger when a hand sprung out from a cage and grabbed Anakin as they passed.

He froze, but didn't make a sound though Barriss could feel his shock.

Slowly they turned to see who or what it was, inside the cage they saw, to Barriss's horror, a starved and beaten Twi'lek woman.

“Help me” she whispered desperately “Please”

“We will, we just need to catch all the slavers first” Anakin whispered back, taking her hand in his and giving it a squeeze.

“You promise?”

“Yes” Anakin replied.

“And Jedi never break their promises” Barriss added.

The woman nodded and withdrew her hand after one last squeeze from Anakin, then they continued on their way and if Barriss could sense the quiet anger and increased determination burning inside him she made no comment about it.

When they reached the hanger, they found it was deserted so they went straight inside and got to work on the single ship they found there.

“Alright, send the signal” he said after a few minutes as he pulled something that looked important out of the engine.

She pulled out her comm and pressed send on a prepared message.

Now all they had to do was wait and stop anyone that tried to use the ship to escape.

It wasn't long, only a minute later they heard a commotion coming from the entrance, it was quickly followed by blaster fire and an alarm going off.

“Here they come” Anakin said after a minute, igniting his lightsaber as they heard people running towards them.

The hanger doors burst open and half a dozen Zygerrians rushed inside, they froze when they saw the two Padawans waiting for them, lightsabers drawn.

“I'm only going to say this once” Anakin said in his most menacing voice and Barriss couldn't help a shiver at the coldness of his tone “Drop your weapons and surrender and we'll spare your lives”

The slavers glanced at each other, then as one raised their blasters and began firing at them.

The Padawans stood their ground, working together to deflect the shots coming their way back at the shooters.

Three of them went down under the hail of deflected bolts while the rest of them dove for cover, their return fire becoming wildly inaccurate.

As they advanced on the slavers, Anakin felt a warning from the force and glanced behind him. In the corner he noticed a tank marked liquid tibanna, a tank with a huge gout of flame coming from it.

“Run!” Anakin shouted “It's gonna blow!”

Barriss stopped to look behind her, saw the tank and turned to run again, but Anakin had already grabbed her and was just about to leap through the open door when it exploded.

The blast boosted his leap and threw them almost 20 metres away from the hanger. They landed in a heap, Anakin using the force to cushion the impact and using his body to protect Barriss from the debris raining down as the shuttle blew too.

“Thanks” she muttered, looking up into his eyes as he covered her protectively.

He smiled as climbed to his feet and she felt a sense of disappointment that she quickly squashed.

“Anytime” he said, helping her to her feet.

Once she was up she turned to look at the hanger.

“That was clo-” she began, but was cut off by Anakin's gasp and the surge of pain she felt from him.

Spinning round she saw Anakin looking down at his chest with an expression of disbelief, where a large piece of metal was protruding from it.

He looked at her, his face bone white and swayed on his feet. She caught him before he fell and gently lowered him to the ground.

“Don't worry” she said trying not to panic “I can heal this”

Anakin, his breathing coming in fast, pained gasps tried to say something, but all that came out was a wet gurgling cough that left blood on his lips.

“Don't try to talk” she said, carefully opening his shirt “just focus on slowing your heart while I try to stop the bleeding”

She got a vague sense of acknowledge back and placed her hands on his bare chest, ignoring the tingly feeling it gave her and focused on stopping the blood from pouring out of his body.

After a few minutes it seemed to have stopped entirely and she let out a sob of relief and looked at his face again. She couldn't tell if he'd passed out or was just in meditative trance, his presence was very weak as well and her worry surged again.

It was then she noticed her commlink was blinking and answered it.

“Barriss!” Luminara's voice responded, her relief evident in her tone “What happened?, Obi-wan's saying Anakin is in great pain”

“There was a fight in the hanger and a stray shot hit a liquid tibanna tank, which exploded, Anakin got us out but he's really badly hurt” Barriss said in a rush, her voice breaking on the last sentence.

“Alright, stay calm and do what you can for him, the judiciary forces are on their way, then we can get him to a medcentre”

“Ok” Barriss said, taking deep breaths.

“Where abouts are you, we'll come to you” Obi-wan said, his concern evident.

“Umm, we're about 20 metres away from where the hanger doors were” she replied, looking around.

“Ok, we'll be there shortly” Luminara said.

“Alright, please hurry” Barriss begged, before hanging up and turning back to Anakin.

“Don't die on me Anakin” she whispered, taking his hand and holding it tightly as tears slid down her cheeks.

She lost track of time sitting there, pushing healing energy into him, until suddenly, Obi-wan and Luminara were there.

Obi-wan sank to his knees beside her, running his hand over his apprentice's sweaty, pale face and adding his own healing power to hers while Luminara stood back, holding a very unhappy Zygerrian.

Barriss barely spared him a glance.

“Is he going to make it” she asked Obi-wan quietly.

He was silent for a while and she thought he hadn't heard her until he sighed.

“It's difficult to say” he finally said “You've done a great job stabilising him for now, but” he sighed again “his injuries are extensive and....” he shook his head “I don't know”

A few minutes later their reinforcements arrived and quickly secured the base.

Obi-wan went to talk with their Commander and came back with two medics and a hover stretcher.

Together Obi-wan and Barriss gently lifted Anakin onto it and followed the medics to a waiting ambulance.

“Go with him” Luminara said when she joined them there, minus the angry Zygerrian “I'll handle things here” she added placing a hand on Obi-wan's shoulder.  
  


“Thank you” Obi-wan said giving her hand a squeeze, before climbing in.

Barriss turned hopefully to her Master and Luminara nodded, she gave her a quick hug and jumped in beside Obi-wan. The door was closed and the ambulance took off.

The ride to the hospital was silent, both of them too worried about Anakin to think about talking.

When they arrived at the hospital, Anakin was rushed into the emergency room leaving Obi-wan and Barriss in the waiting room with nothing to do but worry.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

When Anakin opened woke three days later, he became aware of four things, first was the stench bacta in his nose, the second was the fact that he was no longer in any kind of pain, third was that when he opened his eyes he had no idea where he was and the forth was that there was something heavy lying on his chest.

At that realization he raised his head as much as he could and found himself looking into Barriss's sleeping face, who, it seemed had slumped over his bed with her head on his chest, snoring softly and gripping his hand quite tightly.

Anakin smiled to himself as, disturbed by his movement, she slowly awoke.

When her eyes opened and focused on him he smile widened and she returned it until she realized where she was lying and shot to her feet, face red with embarrassment and mumbling apologies while a storm of emotions surged through her, the strongest of which was mortification and a strange mix of elation and regret.

Brushing them aside he turned to her.

“It's fine” he said, his voice sounding raspy from disuse “it actually felt quite nice, knowing someone I trust was nearby while I was out of it was.... nice” he finished lamely, turning faintly pink himself.

The look Barriss gave him next was confusing, full of all sorts of things, but before he could decrypt it, it was gone, replaced with a smile.

“You're welcome” she said “I should tell our Masters you're awake” she added, quickly leaving the room, leaving Anakin to sink back into his pillows with a sigh.

She returned less than a minute later, closely followed by Obi-wan and Luminara, who looked like they hadn't slept for days.

He greeted them with a smile, after the perfunctory how are you, and a quick hug from Obi-wan he asked the question that had been on his mind since he'd awakened.

“Did we get him?”

“Yes” Obi-wan answered with a satisfied smile “and he was most unhappy with us”

“And the slaves?” he continued.

“All free and are being returned to their homes” Luminara said.

“Good” Anakin said with a sigh, before turning a sharp gaze on the Masters.

“No offence, but you guys looked terrible. When was the last time you slept?”

“That's hardly important right now” Obi-wan said sternly, though Anakin could sense his amusement at being told he looked bad by someone in his position.

Before he could reply a doctor entered the room and everyone took a few steps back to let him through.

He shot Obi-wan a look that said “We'll continue this after” then turned to the doctor as he began speaking.

“Hello Anakin, I'm doctor Wheyton, how're you feeling this morning” he said, peeling the bacta patches of Anakin's chest and examining the wound.

“Pretty good” he replied.

“Yes, surprisingly so, I knew Jedi were tough, but that wound should have killed you and it probably would have if you friend hadn't acted so quickly to stop the bleeding” he said, gesturing to Barriss, who was staring at her feet, her face going red again.

“Now though, I think I can release you tomorrow as long as you take it easy”

He checked a few things off his datapad, shook his head, muttering “remarkable”, before nodding to the Masters and leaving the room.

“Well that's good news” Barriss said with relief.

“Yeah, now Masters Obi-wan and Luminara need to get some rest” Anakin said firmly.

Obi-wan looked like he was going to argue, but he swayed on his feet and would have fallen if Luminara hadn't caught him.

“I'm sure Barriss can keep an eye on me for a few hours” he added, getting a strange reaction from her.

“I think you're right” Obi-wan said dryly as Luminara half lead half carried him from the room “I'll see you later”

“Bye” they said as their Masters left, before turning to each other.

“Can you see how to make the bed go into a sitting position?” he asked her.

“Yep” she replied, pressing a button on the side of it which made it slowly rise up.

“Ahh, that's better” he said when he was in a mostly upright position.

“I, umm, wanted to thank you” he said, looking at her “you saved my life so, thank you” he finished quietly.

“You're welcome” she mumbled “and I think that makes us even anyway, seeing as you save me from the explosion” she added with a grin. “besides, if I was in the same position you'd do the same for me”

“But I couldn't though” he said “I can't force heal”

“Well, I'll teach you then” she said firmly “I mean, if you want me too” she added quietly.

“I'd like that” he replied, with the smile she loved so much, making her want to just wrap her arms around him and never let go.

So, before she could change her mind, before anything else could interrupt her, she stepped right up to his bed and did just that, trying to put all her relief and love and everything else she felt into it. He seemed to get it and returned the hug just as strongly.

And for the moment she didn't care that Jedi weren't suppose to have attachments, or anything else at all really, because Anakin was here, in her arms, alive, and to Barriss, that was the best feeling in the whole galaxy.

“You're screwed” the voice in her head told her smugly.

“Shut up” she thought back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, Leave a comment if you enjoyed it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The start of the Attack of the clones Arc.  
> Starts about 2 days before the movie begins.
> 
> 2 years later.  
> Anakin is 19  
> Barriss is 16
> 
> Also special thanks to [TabbyWolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TabbyWolf/pseuds/TabbyWolf) for beta reading this part.

“No, mom!” Anakin gasped, jolting upright as his mother died, before trying to jerk away as he registered something touching him.

“Anakin”

He tensed, turning, ready to fight, only to find Obi-wan watching him concernedly, a hand resting on his shoulder. He must have woken up his master. 

“Obi-wan” he muttered, lying down again, breathing heavily.

“Another nightmare?”

“Yeah,” he replied “They're getting worse”

“The same one?”

“Yeah”

“Hmm...... When we get back I'll ask the council if we can make a quick trip to Tatooine to check on her” Obi-wan said.

“Really?” he asked, looking hopeful.

Obi-wan nodded.

“Now, get dressed. We might as well get going, there's nothing else we need to do here and I for one want to get back to the temple”

“Yeah, me too” Anakin said, pulling on his robes and beginning to toss the few things he had into his pack, Anison was an alright world, but after 3 weeks mediating a border dispute, they couldn't wait to leave.

The last thing he put into his pack was a small black box, which he'd bought yesterday to hold the gifts he'd purchased. He'd been worried at first when he asked Obi-wan if he could have some credits to buy a gift for Barriss, worried that Obi-wan might suspect his feelings for her were stronger than they'd once been.

But Obi-wan had just chucked him a credit stick and told him to have fun, so he'd gone down to the shopping district looking for something suitable, not realizing that Obi-wan had slipped out barely 5 minutes after him to do some shopping of his own.

And when he'd returned almost 4 hours later he was pretty pleased with what he'd bought, a pair of personal holocomm units so they could talk to one another whenever they wanted, a micro holoprojection unit that he planned to load with pictures of Barriss and himself and their masters and finally, and also his favourite, an Anison Sun Gem worked into a pendant for a necklace which seemed to glow with an inner light to remind her of how she always brightened his day when she was around.

He smiled as he remembered the exact moment he realized he was in love with her. It had been about a year ago, they had both just returned from missions and had a lot of studying to catch up on so they'd taken their usual spot in the library and settled in for a few hours of researching.

He'd glanced up to ask her a question and as he looked at her he felt as if he was seeing her for the first time, with her long eyelashes over her pretty blue eyes, her soft, green skin and the way she was frowning thoughtfully at her datapad. A rush of feelings followed and the realization that he was in love with her hit him like punch in the gut, making him choke on his breath.

The look of concern she'd given him then had made things worse and when she'd asked if he was alright, he'd managed to wheeze out that he was fine because how was he going to explain that he'd just realized he was in love with her.

He still hadn't considered when, if ever, he'd tell her how he felt, but he pushed that aside and zipped up his bag, when the time was right he would say something.

Obi-wan finished packing not long after and headed for the door.

After casting one last look around the room in case they'd forgotten anything, Anakin followed Obi-wan out the door and into the street, before making their way towards the port and hanger where their shuttle was parked.

Quickly passing through the minimal security point they boarded their ship and he went straight to the cockpit to begin the pre-flight checks, humming to himself.

Once he'd finished, he sent a take-off request and got immediate clearance to depart.

“Ready for take off Master?” he asked.

“As ready as I'll ever be” Obi-wan sighed, sliding into the copilot's seat.

Anakin laughed as he fired up the engines and carefully flew them out of the hanger, before flooring it and rocketing them into orbit, to the immense displeasure of Obi-wan's stomach.

  


* * *

  


The sun was setting as she and Anakin looked on from a balcony near the top of the temple, watching as it turned the horizon brilliant shades of pink, orange and gold.

“I've missed you” he whispered.

She turned, looking up into his smiling face as he gently caressed her cheek.

Snaking her arms around his neck, she stood up on tippie toes, hoping he'd understand what she wanted.

He got the message and bent his head down to softly press his lips to hers, before trying to pull back.

She didn't let him.

Tightening her arms around him she pulled him back into a far more passionate kiss. It was like a fire had been lit within them, both breathing heavily as they deepened the kiss, while Anakin ran his hands through her hair, sending shivers down her spine and-

“Barriss, wake up”

And just like that, reality returned.

“Five more minutes Master” she whined, trying to recapture the rapidly fading dream.

“Sorry Barriss, it's almost 8 a.m and the Council and the Chancellor are expecting our report on the state of the systems in the mid rim that are considering leaving at 9” her Master told her “besides, Anakin is returning today anyway, so you don't need dreams” she added with a grin.

That got her attention.

“How did you-” she spluttered, shooting upright, blankets flying everywhere.

“You were projecting rather strongly” Luminara replied, before leaving the room.

“Great” Barriss muttered, wanting to crawl back under the covers and not come out for a week.

Instead, she forced herself to get out of bed and pull on her robes and boots, before hooking her lightsaber to her belt and walking out to the common room of their apartment.

Her Master was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of caf and scrolling through a datapad.

“Good morning” she said slyly, as Barriss sat down and helped herself to the fruit and caf on the table “Sleep well?”

She merely nodded, still embarrassed by the fact that she was projecting her dreams.

“Has there been any update on the attack on Senator Amidala?” she asked changing the subject, the attack had happened when the Senator had arrived last night, shocking the senate.

“No, not yet” Luminara replied “they're still saying it might be disgruntled miners”

Barriss snorted.

“It's more likely connected to her work trying to stop the military creation act” 

“Yes, I think so too, but unless more evidence is found I don't think we'll ever find who is responsible”

They were silent for a bit, till Barriss could take it no more and acknowledged the Gundark in the room.

“You're not going to say anything about my..... ahh, dream?” she asked.

“Barriss, no one can control what they dream about and lecturing you about attachments would be very hypocritical of me, don't you think? Besides, I've known of your feelings towards Anakin for some time now”

“How long?” she asked, shocked.

“Since Vandor”

She mulled that over for a while, then the rest of what she'd said sank in.

“So you and Obi-wan are serious now?” she asked, a grin spreading across her face.

Her Master nodded and returned to her datapad and Barriss wisely dropped the subject.

After a few more minutes they both finished and left their apartment, joining the some Members of  
Council and taking a shuttle over to the Senate complex.

  


* * *

  


“Thank you for your report Master Unduli” Chancellor Palpatine said as she finished her assessment of the Umbaran system and why she thought it wouldn't leave the republic at this time.

She nodded and stepped back as the other Masters leaned forward to continue the discussion.

Barriss, who was standing a few steps behind her Master and had so far done nothing else, sighed internally, they'd been here for almost an hour already and there wasn't much point in her being there, she thought, allowing her mind to wander to other, more enjoyable things, things that involved Anakin and candle lit dinners.

At a nudge through their bond from her Master though, she focused on the conversation again as the Chancellor spoke.

“I don't know how long I can hold off the vote my friends, more and more star systems are joining the Separatists”

“If they do break away-” Master Windu began.

“I will not let this republic that has stood for a thousand years be split in two” The Chancellor interrupted “My negotiations will not fail”

“If they do, you must realize that there aren't enough Jedi to protect the Republic” Master Windu stated “We're keepers of the peace, not soldiers”

“Master Yoda, do you really think it will come to war?” The Chancellor asked.

“Hmm, the dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is” Yoda responded.

They were interrupted by a hologram of a Rodian male that appeared on the Chancellors desk, it spoke to the Chancellor briefly.

“Good” he responded “send them in”

He stood up.

“We will discuss this matter later” he said, walking towards the door.

Barriss and the rest of the Jedi turned to follow as the door opened and in walked Senator Amidala with a group of her supporters.

She marched up to their group and began speaking to Master Yoda, while Barriss found herself assessing the woman Anakin had described as an angel so often over the years.

She was attractive she supposed, but she still had an air of entitlement about her that every politician had.

“May I suggest the senator be placed under the protection of your graces” The Chancellor said, snapping her out of her brooding.

“Do you really think that's a wise decision under these stressful times?” one of the male senators with her asked.

“Chancellor, if I may comment, I do not believe-” Amidala began, but the Chancellor cut her off.

“The situation is that serious? No. but I do senator. I realize all to well that additional security might be disruptive for you, but perhaps someone you're familiar with. An old friend like Master Kenobi”

“That's possible” Master Windu said, as Barriss felt a flare of jealousy at the thought of Anakin being assigned to protect her “He's just returned from a boarder dispute on Ansion”

“Do it for me, please milady” the Chancellor pleaded “The thought of losing you is unbearable”

That statement seemed to persuade her, though to Barriss, it felt insincere, like he didn't really mean it.

“I will have Obi-wan report to you immediately milady” Master Windu said as everyone began to leave.

“Thank you Master Windu” she replied as he bowed and turned to leave.

The rest of the Jedi followed him out, with Barriss giving the senator a cool look as she passed, until Luminara sent her a mental image of her boot on her backside and she snapped her head forward.

Outside the office Master Windu pulled out his comm and contacted Obi-wan.

“Obi-wan” he said when the call connected “We have a mission for you”

  


* * *

  


They'd returned barely an hour ago and had only just made it to their quarters when Obi-wan's comm chimed.

“ _Obi-wan_ ” Master Windu's voice said when he answered it. “ _We have a mission for you_ ”

“I see” Obi-wan said with a sigh “what is it?”

“ _There was an assassination attempt on Senator Amidala yesterday and the Chancellor has requested Jedi bodyguards for her_ ”

He felt Anakin stiffen beside him and asked the question he knew he was thinking.

“Is she alright?”

“ _Yes she's fine, but the attack killed her decoy and several others on her staff_ ”

“That's terrible” Obi-wan said “do we know who's responsible?”

“ _No, not yet. We have teams investigating but they're unlikely to discover anything incriminating  
_”  
“Ok, so what do you want us to do?” Obi-wan asked.

“ _Get over to the senator's apartment as soon as possible, you'll be assigned to her protection detail until we get to the bottom of this. I've just sent you a data package containing all relevant information_ ”

“Alright, we'll head right over”

“ _May the force be with you_ ” Master Windu finished, hanging up.

Obi-wan sighed again and put away his comm.

“I'm sorry Anakin, we'll have to postpone going to check on your mother”

“That's alright Master, it's not your fault and duty always comes first” Anakin said with a sigh of his own.

At Obi-wan's raised eyebrow he added “I was just looking forward to seeing Barriss today”

“Ahh, I understand” Obi-wan said, patting him on the shoulder “maybe this will be a quick assignment”

Anakin snorted “and maybe Master Windu will get a sense of humour”

Obi-wan chuckled, before leaving the apartment with Anakin close behind him.

  


* * *

  


Less than an hour later they were standing outside the senator's apartment. Obi-wan pressed the buzzer and they waited.

“You look nervous” he commented, glancing at Anakin.

“We haven't seen her in ten years, what if she doesn't remember me?” he replied looking at Obi-wan.

“I'm sure she will, you made quite an impression” Obi-wan said, turning to the door as it opened.

Anakin was still looking at Obi-wan as the door opened so when he heard him mutter “Oh, force no” over their bond. He thought something was wrong. Snapping his gaze to the doorway he scanned for the danger, only to see Jar Jar coming out the door. At least it was nothing intentionally trying to harm them.

He suppressed his own groan and forced a smile onto his face as the Gungan greeted Obi-wan enthusiastically before turning and beaconing them inside.

“Lookie lookie Senator, deesa Jedi arriven” he announced walking through to the lounge of the apartment.

Obi-wan bowed as she came over to them from the balcony.

“A great pleasure to see you again milady” he said, taking her hand.

“It has been far too long, Master Kenobi” she replied, glancing over his shoulder at Anakin.

“Ani?” she said, sounding surprised “My goodness you've grown”

“Thank you Senator” he replied, and only Obi-wan detected his sarcasm “It's good to see you again”

“Yes, it is” she said, eyeing him speculatively, before walking over to the sofas and taking a seat.

“Our presence here will be invisible, milady I can assure you.” Obi-wan said taking a seat as well.

Anakin joined him and while the head of security introduced himself, he watched Padmé, and though he was happy to see her again, his crush from when he was younger was gone and he found himself merely wishing to be friends with her.

Their discussion moved to the security arrangements and he shook aside his thoughts and focused on the job at hand.

After several more minutes Padmé announced she was going to retire to her quarters

Both Jedi stood and bowed again as she and her handmaiden departed.

Once she was gone, Captain Typho began speaking to Obi-wan again, going into greater detail about what security he had, leaving him with Jar Jar.

“Meesa busten with happiness seein yousa again, Ani” he said.

“Yes, me too” he lied, patting the Gungan on the shoulder.

“Come on, Anakin let's check the security” Obi-wan said returning to them.

“Yes Master” he replied.

They spent the rest of the day going over all security arrangements as well as coming up with anything that a potential assassin might try to get at the senator, after that they ran out of things to do so they took up positions near her door to await whatever was coming, killing time just talking about nothing. And it was quiet until he sensed a slight disturbance coming from her room.

“I sense it too” Obi-wan said as they rushed for the door.

Anakin was first through and jumped straight onto her bed, slashing at the worms crawling on her.

Behind him he heard glass smashing and spun around, ready to defend Padmé only to see Obi-wan diving out the window.

“Hypocrite!” he yelled through the shattered window, before he ran, grinning, from the apartment.

  


* * *

  


They'd chased down the assassin, but before she could give them any information she was killed by another bounty hunter, so they'd returned to the apartment empty handed and kept watch for the rest of the night in case they tried again.

They didn't and after making sure that she was secure, they left to meet with the council.

“Track down this bounty hunter you must, Obi-wan” Yoda said, once they'd finished recounting the nights events.

“Most importantly, find out who he's working for” Master Windu added.

“What about Senator Amidala?” Obi-wan asked “she will still need protecting”

“Handle that your Padawan will” Yoda said.

Obi-wan glanced at him when he felt the resignation in him but said nothing.

“Anakin, escort the senator back to Naboo” Master Windu said “she'll be safer there. And don't use registered transport, travel as refugees”

He nodded, but felt he should tell them she would likely resist.

“As leader of the opposition it will be very difficult to get her to leave Coruscant”

“Until caught this killer is, our judgement she must respect” Yoda said.

“Go to the senate and ask Chancellor Palpatine to speak with her about this matter” Master Windu said before dismissing them.

They bowed to the Masters and departed.

“I'll meet you back at the Senator's apartment” Obi-wan said once they were out of the council chamber.

“Alright, I shouldn't be too long” he replied, heading for the lifts.

  


* * *

  


An hour later he was leaving the Senate complex, his conversation with the Chancellor swirling in his mind. He'd promised to convince the senator to return home but then he'd gone on about how it was about time he be given a solo assignment and that he should trust his feelings and that it would make him invincible.

The whole conversation had felt off to him and left him feeling uneasy.

He brushed it aside however and returned his focus to the mission at hand, he could worry about the Chancellor's strange behaviour at a later date, and jumping into his speeder he took off for the Senator's place, not looking forward to the coming conversation.

However, when he got there she took it far better that he expected, giving him only an icy glare before giving instructions to Jar Jar.

Once she'd finished she stormed past him again and began packing her clothing up.

He just sighed and offered to help, which she declined so he went to wait in the lounge for her to finish.

Obi-wan returned about an hour later.

“How're things?” he asked, joining him in the lounge.

“She's packing” he replied, his tone indicating that she was not in the best of moods.

“Ahh” Obi-wan replied with a smile.

Padmé walked out of her room shortly after dressed in rather more restrained outfit but she still had on a rather eye catching head piece, something that was in no way appropriate for a refugee. 

Obi-wan snorted beside him, before patting him on the shoulder and leaving the room muttering something about arranging transport, leaving him to tell her that her chosen outfit was too glamorous for a refugee and after a bit of an argument she agreed to lose the head piece.

Finally ready to leave, they stepped out onto the balcony as an air taxi pulled up.

After loading all her baggage aboard they took off, heading for the spaceport.

Obi-wan was standing near the front of the shuttle so he went up to join him. He nodded but said nothing when he stepped up beside him.

“I wanted to ask a favour” he said quietly, and when Obi-wan nodded again he continued “In the pack on my bed there's a black box, could you give it to Barriss for me?”

“Of course” Obi-wan said with a smile.

“Thanks” he replied “I was hoping to give it to her myself, but I don't want it to wait till I get back”

“I understand” Obi-wan said, as they landed at the arrivals pad of the port.

“May the force be with you” he said as he grabbed several of Padmé's cases and stepped out of the shuttle.

  


* * *

  


“How many more of these are there?” Barriss asked as she opened yet another report on a world that was considering leaving the republic.

“Ninety seven” her Master replied, making her groan.

Luminara smiled, but otherwise made no further comment.

Just as she finished the next one the doorbell chimed.

“Obi-wan” Luminara muttered, getting up to answer the door.

“Obi-wan, come in” she said, once she'd opened the door.

“Thank you” he said stepping inside “I can't stay long, I need to depart within the hour”

“Another mission already, but you've only just got back”

“I know, and Anakin and I were both looking forward to catching up with you”

“Where is he?” Barriss asked, hoping he'd come through the door as well.

“He's been sent off world”

“Why, what's happened?” Luminara asked.

“There was another attempt on the Senator's life so it was decided that she would be safer off world and Anakin was assigned to escort her”

All sorts of unpleasant thoughts erupted in her mind as she thought of Anakin and the Senator alone together, but she pushed them down when Obi-wan came over to her holding a package.

“Before he left, Anakin asked me to give this to you, he wished he could give it to you in person but he wanted you have as he didn't know how long his mission would last” he said, holding out a box to her.

She took the box from him, holding it carefully as she wondered what it was while her happiness at the thought of him giving her a gift banished all her other thoughts.

“Alright I must be going” he said, walking back to the door.

Luminara followed him and thought he tried to do it without her noticing, she still saw him slip her Master a small package before slipping out the door.

She returned to the table with a smile on her face and placed the parcel in front of her before tearing into it. Inside was a beautifully woven black headscarf with Luminara embroidered diagonally across it along with dozens of smaller images that made her light up with happiness.

“That's really nice” Barriss commented.

“Yes, it is” her Master replied softly.

Then Barriss returned her attention to the box in front of her and carefully removed the lid. Inside were several items and she pulled out the top one.

It was a personal Holocomm with a note attached.

 _I thought this might come in handy_  
_for when we're on long missions,_  
_I've got one as well so it means we_  
_can talk whenever we want._  


Barriss smiled and gently placed it into her utility pouch on her belt before moving on to the next item which was a small holoprojector, with a note saying So you don't forget me.

She turned it on and it began a slide show of images and videos of the two of them together over the years. Her eyes welled up as she watched her and Anakin studying together, Anakin sparring with her, then tackling her to the ground when she disarmed him. And finally it finished with a picture of them, arm in arm with matching grins on their faces.

She wiped her eyes, before tucking the projector into a pocket near her heart and pulling out the last item.

It was a beautiful necklace, an Anison Sun Gem the note said, that glowed with an inner light and her love for Anakin burned even stronger.

“I think Anakin cares more for you than he's been letting on” Luminara said softly, having watched everything.

Barriss looked up at her, blinking away new tears and allowed herself to hope that, just maybe, Anakin felt the same way about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	8. Chapter 8

“Naboo really was beautiful” Anakin thought as he leaned against the balcony, admiring the way the sun reflected off it's smooth surface and breathing in the fresh, crisp air.

Barriss would love it here, and Padmé's anger at being forced to return home had melted away on their arrival and she was being much nicer to him.

As if summoned by the thought, Padmé came out and joined him.

She didn't say anything so neither did he and both of them just stood there enjoying the peaceful surroundings.

Until Padmé, ever so casually, brushed her hand over his.

The unexpected contact startled him and shifted slightly away as he turned and found himself staring into her deep, brown eyes.

For her part, she seemed to be enjoying his reaction and was grinning coyly at him.

"I love it here" she sighed "It's the one place in the galaxy I can come and just be me without having to worry about politics or bills or committees"

"I do too" he replied "It's so peaceful and the air feels alive and clean, not like Coruscant or any other world I've been too"

"So you've travelled a lot?" she asked.

"Yeah, to more worlds than I can remember and every world is unique and has something special about it" he said "What about you, have you travelled much?"

"Yes, but only for political functions, so I've never really seen the worlds, not like when I was on Tatooine" she replied, a bit sadly "which worlds have you seen and what are they like?"

"Well, it really depends on the world and which part you go to. For example, one time we were tracking a smuggler ring on Corellia, one day we'd be in a sprawling city like Coruscant rooting out corrupt officials, the next we'd be out in a county town chasing thugs through colourful markets with the air alive with exotic spices" he began, noticing she was looking at him in a way that Barriss sometimes did.

He continued telling her of his exploits with Obi-wan and she laughed as he recounted the time Obi-wan had fallen in a nest of Gundarks and he had to save him, was amazed when he described the crystal temple on Ilum and looked down right disgusted as told her about falling in the swamps on Nal Hutta.

Then she in turn told him about worlds she'd been to, spoke of parties and galas and a hundred and one other things politicians did when they got together.

After that their talked moved to other things, places they wanted to go, things they wanted to do and before they knew it, the sun was setting and Padmé said she was going to retire for the evening.

He watched her walk inside before turning back to the lake, wishing once again that Barriss was here to enjoy it with him.

And after another half hour he too went inside, grabbing something from the kitchen before heading to his room

  


* * *

  


Barriss was sitting in an office in the senate reserved for Jedi, reading over yet another batch of reports on worlds leaving the republic.

It was mind numbing and she found herself reading over the same paragraph five or six times without taking anything in as her mind kept wandering to other things.

Things like Senator Amidala and Anakin holding hands, having candle lit dinners and sitting much too close together on the sofa, or even...

No!, she was not going to think about that, or how she could be running her hands through-  
“Stop it” she muttered to herself “you're not a lovesick teenager, you're a Jedi”

But that still didn't help.

Meditation, she thought desperately, that might help.

Sitting up straighter, she allowed her mind to relax and sink into a meditative state, picturing herself sitting by a calm, smooth lake with soft green grass growing along it's banks and Anakin and the Senator rolling around in it, kissing furiously.

At that thought she let out a defeated sigh and slumped over her desk, allowing all those thoughts to play out, growing more and more detailed as they did.

And of course her Master chose that moment to return.

“Is everything alright Barriss?” she asked.

“Oh, yes, fine Master” she replied, not raising her head.

“Surely those reports aren't that bad” she coming up beside her.

“It's not them Master, it's just....” she began, but couldn't think of how to say it with out sounding pathetic.

“Ahh, I think I understand” she said, patting her consolingly on the shoulder.

“Really?” she asked curiously, raising her head to look at her Master.

“Yes” she replied “I felt the same way once when I was younger and the man I was in love with had just returned from a year long mission, I was so happy to see him again that I was going to tell him I loved him, but all he talked about was this woman he'd been assigned to protect”

“Oh” Barriss said, imagining how it would feel if, when Anakin returned he spoke about nothing but the Senator.

Horrible, she thought.

“What did you do?” she asked softly.

“Well, I was one of his closest friends, so I spent hours talking with him about her” 

“And feeling like I was dying inside the whole time” she added in a whisper.

“How did it turn out?, did you tell him you loved him?” Barriss asked eagerly.

“Eventually yes” she said with a soft smile “it was years later, when we were on a mission together and I just told him after we'd completed it and things worked out quite well, he even said he had feelings for me as well”

“Wow” she said thoughtfully “it was Obi-wan wasn't it?”

“Yes” she said “Now lets go get something to eat”

“That sounds great” she said, abandoning the reports and following her Master out the door.

And as they walked down the corridor, she decided that the next time she saw Anakin she was going to tell him how she felt, while Luminara smiled at the new sense of determination coming from her Padawan.

  


* * *

  


Anakin woke bathed in sweat and gasping for breath, that dream had felt more real than any of the dreams he’d had before.

After taking a few minutes to recover he left his bedroom and stepped out onto the balcony, it was still night but it was soothing and he slowly relaxed his racing mind.

Hours later the sun rose and Padmé joined him.

“Are you alright?” she asked, taking in his haggard appearance.

“No” he answered “I keep dreaming of my mother dying in terrible pain and last night it was almost real, like I was there watching it happen”

“That's awful” she whispered, putting a hand on his arm “is there anything I can do to help?”

“No” he replied, but his expression turned thoughtful “maybe, I want to go check on her but I need a ship”

“Well, we can take mine” she said.

“We?” he asked.

“Yes, if you want to use my ship I'm coming with you”

“But” he began, but the look she gave him killed his argument.

“I'm not going to be left behind just because you're worried about my safety, and it's your mother and I want to help her if I can because she helped me when I was in need”

“Alright” he conceded “but don't tell the council or Obi-wan, I'm going to be in big trouble if they find out”

“Only if you don't tell the Chancellor” she smiled, before running off to prep her ship.

  


* * *

  


Force he hated this place he thought as he stepped out of Padmé's ship and into the coarse, dry, irritating sand.

As he approached the homestead that Watto had told him was where the man who had bought his mother lived. As they walked towards the entrance they passed a droid that turned to greet them.

“Oh, how might I be of service, I am C-” it began

“Threepio?” he asked.

“Oh, Um, the maker!”C-3PO exclaimed “Master Ani, I knew you would return, and miss Padmé, oh my”

“Hello Threepio” she said.

“I've come to see my mother” he said.

“Oh, Um. I think perhaps we'd better go indoors” C-3PO replied, heading for the door.

An hour later he stood over the homestead, seething with anger and about to head out to find his mother on a speeder borrowed from his step-brother.

He heard someone walk out of the house and turned to see Padmé coming towards him, a determined look on her face.

“You're going to have to stay here” he told her and for once she didn't argue, she just nodded and gave him a hug.

“I won't be long” he said when she let go and got on the speeder and took off into the desert.

He rode for several hours, stopping only to ask a Jawa convoy where the nearest Tusken camp was, until finally he found them, and he knew it was the right one because he could sense his mothers faint force presence.

Quietly sneaking into their camp, he located the tent she was in and quickly cut a hole in it.

Stepping inside, he froze in horror as he took in the state of his mother, before shaking it off and cutting her down.

Her eyes opened and she tried to focus on him.

“Ani?” she asked “My little Ani”

“Yeah, I'm here mom” he said softly “don't try to talk, you need to save your strength”

She tried to smile at him but it was more a grimace, as he carefully checked her over and attempted what little healing he knew. Force, he wished Barriss was here.

Her head wound looked the worst so he did his best to clean it with his water bottle. When she felt the water on her face she turned her head towards it so he gave her a few sips before wrapping her head with a bandage from his field pack, he also did a basic heal on her to stop any internal bleeding, just in case.

Then he picked her up carefully and carried her out to the speeder, and after thinking about it for a moment, mounted it with his mother sitting on him, before racing back to the homestead.

When he returned, everyone rushed out to meet him and when they saw Shmi was with him there were cries of joy, until they saw the state she was in and they changed to gasps of disbelief.

“We need to get her inside” Anakin said, Owen nodded and gestured for him to follow him and ran inside. He followed him into a bedroom and set her gently on the bed.

She was in a bad way and he could tell she wasn't going to survive without immediate medical attention. But the nearest town with a medical centre was over 3 hours away by starship and she wouldn't last that long. If only Barriss was here he thought again, she'd be able to save her, but she was halfway across the galaxy and.....

He stopped as an idea occurred to him, it was a long shot but it was her only chance.

Ignoring the desperate looks and questions from his relatives, he pulled out the holocomm he'd bought only a few days earlier and, praying that she had it on her, called Barriss's one.

After 30 seconds in which he began to lose hope the call connected.

 _“Anakin?”_ Barriss's voice came through, sounding both nervous and excited.

  


* * *

  


Barriss sighed as she stretched out on the sofa and pressed play on the next documentary that the holonet suggested to her, The Life of the Nexu.

She was alone in their apartment as her master was still at the senate going over reports with some committee or another, she would have been there as well but Luminara had said she could head home early if she wished and she had eagerly agreed.

She sighed again as it began, they were good documentaries but watching them wasn't the same without Anakin providing his own commentary over the top.

It was just beginning to describe the hunting habits of Nexu when a holocomm started ringing and she spent 15 seconds looking for it before she realized it was the one Anakin had given her and she felt a thrill of excitement.

Picking it up, she looked at it for another 10 seconds wondering what she should say before she answered it.

“Anakin?” she said.

_“Barriss, Oh, thank the force, I need your help, there's no time to explain but my mother is dying and I need you to help me save her”_

“Ok” she said thinking quickly and switching to healer mode “What do you need me to do and what are her injuries?”

 _“Can you tell me what to do to force heal her?”_ he asked.

“Yes” she replied, all business.

He muttered something that she didn't catch, before begin to describe her injuries.

_“She has trauma to the head, internal injuries and multiple lacerations. She's also malnourished and dehydrated”_

“Alright” she said “we'll start with the internal injuries, are you both somewhere comfortable?”

 _“Yes”_ came the reply.

“Ok, first place your hands on her chest, touching skin”

She heard some rustling around before a “Yep” came through.

“Now, open yourself to the force and allow it to flow through you, then carefully reach out to her presence and sink into it till you find the injuries”

 _“Ok”_ was the strained response.

“Ok, now imagine the wounds healing themselves, imagine them slowly mending and returning to normal”

There was only a grunt in response and for over an hour he said very little, focusing all his energy on healing his mother while she guided him and offered encouragement.

Finally he spoke.

 _“I think it's working”_ he shouted, sounding exhausted _“she's definitely feeling stronger”_

“That's great” she said with a sigh of relief “do you think it's healed enough to move on to her other injuries?”

 _“Umm”_ he replied _“I think so, I can't feel anything life threatening”_

“Alright, do you think you can heal her head injury now or do you need a break?”

 _“I can do it”_ he said firmly.

“Ok, it's the same process for head wounds, but you need to be extremely cautious, rushing or being too heavy handed can cause brain damage”

 _“Ok”_

There was silence for a while before he spoke again.

_“I think that's done it and I don't think I can do any more without passing out anyway”_

“Ok, how does she feel?”

 _“Like she's going to make it”_ was the tired but happy response.

“That's great, is there anyone else that can bandage the rest of her injuries?”

_“Yeah, do you want to talk to them?”_

“Yes please”

She heard the comm being passed to someone, then a woman's voice asked what she needed to do.

So she explained how to properly clean and dress the numerous cuts on Anakin's mother, until finally, all her wounds had been tended too.

After thanking her, the woman passed her back to Anakin.

 _“Thank you Barriss”_ he said fervently _“I don't know what I would have done without you”_

“You're welcome, though I'm sure you would have thought of something, you always do” 

_“I don't think so this time, but I don't need to worry about it now, you've saved the day again, we'll have to do something special when I get back”_

“We don't have to” she replied, thankful it was just a voice call and he couldn't see her blush.

 _“But I want to”_ he said in an odd tone.

“Alright” she said softly “now get some sleep, I know how exhausting force healing is and call me in the morning or whatever time you get up, I want to hear how she's doing”

 _“I will”_ he said _“and thank you again, good night”_

“Good night” she said and he cut the connection.

She sank back into the sofa feeling almost as exhausted as if she'd actually done the healing and considered just going to sleep there, but she knew she'd feel awful in the morning so she dragged herself to her feet and stumbled to her room before flopping fully clothed onto her bed, gripping the holocomm tightly as she drifted off to sleep.

  


* * *

  


Early next morning, once he'd checked it wasn't too early on Coruscant, he commed Barriss again and together they checked over his mother.

Padmé came down to join him shortly after and when Barriss had asked if they had any decent medical supplies on hand, she'd run off to grab the medkit from her ship.

When she returned he thanked her and administered the shots Barriss recommended before thanking her again and hanging up with a smile.

His mother, who had woken up while he was checking her had fallen asleep again so he kissed her on the head and left her room with Padmé close behind him.

“Thank you for your help” he said once they were outside again.

“You're welcome” she said giving him an odd look.

“You love her don't you?” she asked quietly.

Anakin shot her a glance.

“Of course, she's my mother”

“No” Padmé smiled “I meant Barriss”

He froze and tried to deny it but nothing came out.

Padmé's smile widened as she watched him struggle.

“Yes, I do” he finally admitted. 

“Does she know?”

“No, I can't tell her, she's my best friend and what if she doesn't feel the same way”

“I don't think you need to worry about that” she smirked “I can tell just by the way she talks to you that she really likes you”

“Really?” he asked, surprised.

Padmé nodded.

He thought that over for a moment, hardly daring to hope that Barriss felt the same way about him.

“If-” he began, but was cut off when Artoo came rolling towards them squealing something about a message from Obi-wan.

They hurried into her ship and Artoo brought up the message.

“Anakin, my long range transmitter has been knocked out, retransmit this message to Coruscant”

Padmé reached round to activate their transmitter and forwarded the message before returning to it.

“I have tracked the bounty hunter Jango Fett to the droid foundries of Geonosis. The trade federation is to take delivery of a droid army here and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempt on Senator Amidala” Obi-wan continued.

“The Commerce Guilds and the Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming a-” he cut off looking up.

“Wait. Wait” he said, drawing his lightsaber and deflecting a hail of bolts that came his way as Padmé gasped, before backing out of the holos range. Into it walked a droideka which continued shooting at him till the signal was lost.

“Anakin” Master Windu said, his hologram replacing Obi-wan's “we will deal with Count Dooku, the most important thing for you is to stay where you are. Protect the Senator at all costs, that is your first priority”

“Understood, Master” Anakin said, while Padmé shot him a disbelieving look.

“They'll never get there in time to save him, they have to travel halfway across the galaxy” she said.

“Look” she added pulling up a map of the galaxy “Geonosis is less than a parsec away”

“If he's still alive” he said quietly.

“Ani are you just going to sit here and let him die?” she asked, angrily.

“No, of course not” he retorted “but you heard Master Windu, he gave me strict orders to protect you and you can't go to Geonosis, everyone there wants to kill you”

“He gave you strict orders, but as I don't answer to the Jedi, I'm going to save Obi-wan and you can come along if you want to or you can stay here” she shot back.

He considered arguing the point, but decided that it was a lost cause and helped her with the pre-flight check.

Once that was done he got up and began to leave the cockpit.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I have to say goodbye” he said.

“Ahh, right” she replied, looking sheepish.

She got up to follow him and they returned to the homestead.

Owen and Beru were up and in the kitchen when they came in.

“I'm sorry but we're going leave” he said “My master's in trouble and we're the closest to him”

“But what about Shmi?” Beru asked.

“She's going to be fine, she just needs to rest now” he reassured her, before going to say goodbye to his mother.

She was still asleep when he knelt beside her bed so he kissed her on the forehead and took her hand.

“I'll be back soon mom, I promise” he whispered, kissing the back of her hand.

Then, before he could change his mind, he got up and walked out, wiping his eyes as he went.

He passed through the kitchen again and said a quick goodbye to Owen and Beru.

“Where's Threepio?” he asked, looking around.

“I don't know, he went looking for you before you came back” Owen said.

“Never mind, we need to get going” Anakin said.

Owen and Beru saw them to the ship and they said one last goodbye before they took off.

“Co-ordinates for Geonosis set” he said as they left Tatooine's atmosphere.

Padmé activated the hyperdrive and the stars stretched into the blue lines of hyperspace.

Hold on Obi-wan, we're coming he thought.

“Oh, my. What's happening” a familiar voice said from behind them.

“Threepio!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	9. Chapter 9

After the stress and excitement of the previous evening, and Anakin calling rather early for the check up, Barriss didn't end up waking up until late in the morning.

She lay there for a while before stretching like a tooka and glancing sleepily at the chrono next to her bed. When she registered the time she cursed, it was after eleven and she was late for their meetings at the senate.

Dressing quickly, she rushed out to the kitchen to grab something to eat and found a note from her Master on the bench.

She picked it up and let out a sigh of relief as she read through it.

_Barriss,_  
_I was going to wake you but_  
_you looked exhausted so I'll_  
_handle our meetings at the senate._  
_There's a datapad on the table and_  
_if you summarise those reports that will be_  
_enough for today._  
_Luminara._

“Thank you, Master” she whispered, putting the note down and deciding to have a proper breakfast.

After looking through her limited options, and making a mental note to restock their pantry, she decided on fried eggs and Nerf strips and once they were sizzling away she popped in a couple of pieces of toast and put the caf machine on.

When it was all cooked, she placed everything on a tray and carried it out to the table. After taking a few bites she pulled over the datapad Luminara had mentioned with a sigh and got to work.

Hours later, having finished all the reports and having double checked that there was nothing worth eating in their apartment, she decided to have a late lunch in the commissary.

After waiting line while a group of younglings got their lunch, she grabbed a plate of her favourite curry and went to find a seat.

“Hey, Barriss, over here” a voice called.

She looked around and saw Aayla waving at her from a table where she was sitting alone.

“Hey Aayla” she said, taking a seat across from her “I thought you were still on Ryloth, when did you get back?”

“Last night” she replied “And as much as I like my home world, after three weeks of dealing with tribal politics, it's good to be back”

“I know what you mean” she said with a sigh, digging into her delicious curry “I've spent the last eight weeks going through the reports on all the worlds leaving the republic”

“Urgh, nasty” Aayla muttered, making her giggle.

They ate in silence for a while, until Aayla fixed her with a speculating look.

“Have you told Anakin you love him yet?”

She didn't quite spit out her mouthful of curry, but it was a near thing.

“No, of course not” she muttered once she'd swallowed. Aayla had been the first to figure out that her feelings for Anakin had changed, they'd been training together as they liked to do when they were all in the temple and afterwards she had, while grinning mischievously, pulled her aside and confronted her with the accusation that she was in love with him.

Her spluttered denials had only widened Aayla's grin and she'd eventually just given up and admitted that, yes, she was in love with him. And ever since Aayla had been teasing her about it and even dropping subtle hints when Anakin was around, to her mortification. At least he'd never picked up on it.

Aayla sighed and shook her head.

“You'll never get anywhere if he doesn't know you like him”

“Maybe, maybe not” she said with a smile “After all he did just give me this” she added, carefully pulling out the necklace Anakin had given her from under her tunic.

She got the satisfaction of seeing Aayla's jaw drop as she leaned over the table for a closer look.

“Wow” she said softly, her grin returning “Now you have to tell him”

“I will” she replied “next time I see him and-”

She was interrupted by her commlink chiming, Aayla's had done the same.

That was the emergency alert she thought, frowning.

Reluctantly putting down her fork, she pulled out her Jedi issue commlink and opened the message.

_**Priority Alert** _  
_All Jedi currently on world rated for combat_  
_or with a grade 4 or higher healer status are_  
_to report to the hanger bay at 15:00 hours_  
_geared for combat, prep for desert environment_

She looked up at Aayla, who was also frowning at the message.

“What do you thinks happened” she asked.

“I don't know, but we need to go, it's almost 3 now” Aayla replied, glancing at her chrono.

She groaned and after stuffing in one last mouthful, abandoned her lunch and raced back to their quarters.

“I'll see you in the hanger” she yelled, as they split up in the residential area, with Aayla heading to the knights block while she returned to the Masters with Padawans section.

Her master was already there, quickly packing her travel bag, a strained look on her face.

“What's happening?” she asked as she began packing her own bag.

“Obi-wan's been captured on Geonosis”

“What?, how?” she gasped.

“He was tracking a bounty hunter and followed him there and while he was sending his report he got attacked and now we've lost contact with him”

“Ok, but why are so many Jedi going?”

“Because in his message he said that the separatists were building a huge army there” she replied “but there's no time to explain the rest, we need to go” she finished, closing her bag and throwing it over her shoulder.

Barriss closed hers as well, checking to make sure she had the holocomm and the projector on her before joining her master in the hall and making their way to the hanger.

“I'm sure Obi-wan will be fine” she said quietly, sensing her normally calm master's worry.

She gave her a strained smile.

“He better be” she muttered darkly as they entered a turbolift and Barriss hit the button for the hanger.

When they walked into the hanger they saw that over 200 Jedi were already there, divided into two main groups in front of two transport ships.

A third group made mainly of masters was giving out assignments and checking people off a list.

“Luminara” Master Windu called as they approached “You'll be with strike team Nova onboard the Guardian”

Luminara nodded and they joined the group waiting on the right side.

Barriss looked over and saw Aayla waiting with the group on the left, she glanced over and gave her a nod and a half smile before returning her attention to Master Windu, who was speaking again.

“Alright, now that everyone's here, let's get moving, it's a two day trip to Geonosis and time is of the essence, a more detailed briefing will take place just before we land, may the force be with us” he finished, boarding the ship on the left.

She followed her master onboard the Guardian and settled in for the long trip, absently rubbing the necklace she'd forgotten to tuck away.

  


* * *

  


Nothing had gone to plan, or at least what Padmé had referred to as a plan. Personally, Anakin thought it was barely a concept but when he'd said as much to her, the look she'd given him a put him off continuing the conversation.

First they been discovered, then chased through a factory and captured, now they were being put on some sort of chariot to be led to their execution. 

He hoped Artoo, and Threepio who had somehow stowed away, hadn't been discovered yet.

“Don't be afraid” he said as Padmé was placed beside him.

“I'm not afraid to die” she replied softly “but I'm sorry for getting us into this”

“That's alright” he said “we're not dead yet and Obi-wan and I have gotten out of some pretty tight situations”

He gave her what he hoped was a confidant smile that she tentatively returned.

Then they were moving, out of the stable area and into the arena to thunderous cheering.

They were taken over to a line of stone columns, where Obi-wan was already waiting for them.

As they passed him he gave them a disbelieving look and Anakin managed a small smile in reply.

Then they were taken off the chariot and led over the pillars, he was taken to the one closest to Obi-wan.

“I was beginning to wonder if you'd got my message” Obi-wan said.

“I retransmitted it, just as you requested master” he replied “then we decided to come and rescue you”

Obi-wan's eyes shot up to the chains holding him then back to Anakin.

“Good job” he said sarcastically, and Anakin grinned in spite of their current situation while his chains were attached to the top of the column.

The cheering redoubled suddenly as figures appeared on the balcony overlooking the arena and what had to be the leader of the Geonosians began speaking.

They all became silent as he made some kind of announcement before the cheering began again.

There was the sound of gates opening and Anakin snapped his gaze back to the arena as three creatures entered the arena.

“I've got a bad feeling about this” he said as one of them, the Nexu, ate one of it's handlers.

“Just relax, concentrate” Obi-wan said as the creatures got closer.

“What about Padmé?” he asked.

“She seems to be on top of things” he replied.

He turned to look at her and sure enough, she was climbing on to the top of her column.

She'd make a great Jedi he thought, before returning his attention to the Reek charging at him.

Waiting until the last moment, he jumped, landing on it's back as it crashed into his pillar and wrapping his chain around its horn.

As he'd hoped, the chain broke when the Reek pulled back and charged towards the Geonosian handlers.

It was a difficult creature to handle and it didn't like him riding it and kept trying to throw him off. He managed to hold on until one of the Geonosians prodded it with its electro staff and he was thrown off its back and dragged through the sand.

He attempted to regain his footing but the Reek was too unpredictable and it was hard enough trying not to get trampled.

Once the Geonosians stopped chasing it it slowed down until it came to a halt. Getting up, he used the force to calm it and persuade it that he was a friend before jumping back on it and wrapping the chains around its neck like reins.

Then with it mostly under control, he urged it towards where Padmé was and made it ram into the Nexu attacking her.

“Jump” he yelled, positioning it underneath her.

She did and he used the force to slow her fall until she was settled behind him.

“Thanks” she said, putting her arms around him.

“Anytime” he smirked, looking round for Obi-wan.

He spotted him fending off the Acklay with a stolen staff and turned the Reek towards him.

Obi-wan saw them coming and leapt up behind Padmé.

The three of them took off down the arena, looking for a way out. He spotted a gate opening and was just beginning to think they might have a chance when half a dozen droidekas rolled out and surrounded them.

He felt Padmé's grip tighten around him as they levelled their blaster arms at them. 

Just when he was about to urge the Reek into one last charge, all around the arena scores of lightsabers ignited.

  


* * *

  


_”4 minutes to target”_ the pilot announced over the intercom.

Barriss took a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves and ran through their part of the plan again.

The guardian would be landing in the lower levels, where they could gain easy access to the arena and neutralize any resistance, their main job was to secure the arena, prevent reinforcements from arriving and cover the extraction of Obi-wan.

_”Three, two, one, touch down”_

The doors opened and the Jedi leapt out, divided into their teams and charged into the hive.

She stuck close to her master as they ran through the tunnels towards the arena, scattering the Geonosians and destroying the occasional battle droid along the way.

The noise got louder the closer they got to the arena until it abruptly cut off. Panic rose in her as she thought they'd arrived too late to save him.

Doubling their speed, they stepped out into the arena to find, to their immense relief, Obi-wan, and to her shock Anakin and Senator Amidala astride a Reek, surrounded by droidekas.

Her master ignited her lightsaber and she followed suit as all around the arena the other Jedi did the same.

Nothing happened for a moment as everyone stood there waiting to see what happened next. Then Master Windu was falling from the observation balcony as the gates lining the arena opened and hundreds of droids poured into the arena.

“Stay close” Luminara said, before joining the dozens of other Jedi charging towards the droids.

Barriss chased after her, deflecting blaster bolts and slashing through any battle droid or Geonosian that got too close, while keeping an eye out for Anakin or Obi-wan. 

She could see her master doing the same as she sliced through 3 droids at once and forced the pieces into two others.

“There!” she shouted a minute later, pointing to where she could see Anakin and Obi-wan standing beside an overturned speeder of some kind, protecting the Senator while she blasted any droid in range.

“Let's go” Her master said, and they fought their way over, cutting down dozens of droids and Geonosians.

When they reached them, both the men gave them quick smiles, but kept their focus on the battle.  
She destroyed three more droids with deflected blaster bolts as Anakin sliced one of the bigger droids in half and for a moment there were no more droids near them.

“What are you doing here?” she yelled, in the brief respite.

“Rescuing Obi-wan, what about you?” he replied with a grin.

She snorted and shook her head, but made no other response as another wave of droids joined the battle, forcing them to fall back.

More and more Jedi fell as their circle tightened until there were less than 20 of them left in the arena.

The droids suddenly halted their advance, giving them a chance to catch their breath and as she looked around, she felt a deep sense of despair at the number of missing faces.

Count Dooku began speaking but she paid him no attention as she turned to Anakin who was still beside her, watching the droids warily.

“Anakin” she said, all her nerves lost in the likely hood of their imminent death “If we die here I just want you to know that I love you”

She felt surprise, then excitement flare in him as his eyebrows shot up as a smile slowly formed on his face, but before he could respond the droids raised their weapons again.

Barriss felt a sense of calm as she turned to face them, they may all be about to die, but she'd told Anakin she loved him and she could sense he felt the same way.

On the senator's other side she could see her master and Obi-wan exchanging a silent goodbye before they turned to face the droids.

But just when she thought it was over, the sound of engines filled the arena.

“Look!” the Senator shouted, pointing up.

Everyone looked up as several gunships dropped into the arena and began strafing the droids.

After making a pass around the arena several landed and white armoured soldiers jumped out and began fighting the droids as well, covering the remaining Jedi as they fell back into the gunships.

She made to follow Anakin into one but her Master pulled her aboard another.

When she glared at her, Luminara merely smiled grimly.

“We're going to need your healing skills” she said as they lifted off.

She sighed, but nodded.

The gunship flew out of the arena and towards what she assumed was the staging area for the soldiers. It set down beside a command post and she and her master jumped out.

One of the soldiers approached them.

“Sir, I have a full battalion awaiting orders” he said, saluting them.

“Um” Luminara said, at a loss for what to say next.

“Where are the wounded Jedi being sent?” she asked, to give her master a chance to think.

“They're being taken to the Protector, I can arrange transport if you wish?”

“Yes, thank you-?”

“Commander Gree, sir”

“Thank you Commander”

He spoke into his helmet comm and shortly after another gunship landed and Barriss climbed aboard.

“May the force be with you, Master” she said as it lifted off.

“And you Padawan” she replied.

Her last sight of her master was her giving orders to the Commander, before they both vanished from sight.

The flight up to the Protector wasn't long and soon after she was stepping off into it's hanger.

The gunship departed almost immediately and she was left wondering where she was suppose to go, until a soldier with red cross painted on his shoulder approached her.

“Sir, Commander Gree said you were coming up to attend to the wounded Jedi?”

“Yes that's right” she said.

“Follow me then, sir” he said, leading the way through the chaos of the hanger.

“I'm Barriss Offee” she said as they exited the hanger.

“CT-1089” he replied.

“What about your name?” she asked.

He hesitated for a moment before responding.

“Um, my brothers call me Switcher”

“Oh, why do they call you that” 

“Ah, I'd rather not say, sir”

“Alright” she replied and they continued down the corridor to where the medbay was.

When they stepped inside, she was confronted by a scene of barely organised chaos, with over a dozen Jedi with varying injuries laid out on beds.

“Where do you want me to begin?” she asked with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	10. Chapter 10

“...I love you”

Surprise flooded Anakin, quickly followed by excitement. Barriss loved him!, she actually loved him.

He felt a smile forming on his face and despite facing certain death, he couldn't remember ever feeling happier.

But as he opened his mouth to tell her he felt the same, the droids raised their blasters again.

Cursing quietly, he returned his attention to the droids, a new sense of grim determination filling him, he was going to make sure that, she at least survived this.

But as he shifted slightly to better cover her, the sound of engines filled the arena.

“Look” Padmé shouted, pointing up.

He looked up as a squadron gunships dropped into the arena, blasting the masses of droids as they descended.

Once they'd created a clear zone several of the gunships landed and soldiers jumped out to provide cover as the remaining Jedi climbed aboard.

He followed Obi-wan and Padmé onto one and looked around for Barriss, panic rose in him when he couldn't see her.

“She's onboard that one” Obi-wan said, indicating the gunship next to them.

“Oh, ok” he replied, relaxing as they rose out of the arena.

“She'll be fine” Padmé said, giving his hand a squeeze.

He nodded and turned his attention to rapidly developing battle in front of them.

“Hold on” Obi-wan said, as the gunship was rocked by flak from the ground.

He reached up and grabbed onto one of the handholds above him while keeping an eye on what was ahead of them.

“Aim right above the fuel cells!” he yelled to the pilot as they approached a techno union ship.

The pilot launched several rockets, which slammed into the ship, causing catastrophic damage.

“Good call” Obi-wan said, as they flew past.

Further ahead, several Trade Federation ships were beginning to take off.

“Attack those Federation star ships, quickly!” Obi-wan shouted.

More rockets were launched at it but they slammed ineffectively against it's hull.

Then they came to a large open plain, where thousands of droids, soldiers and tanks were fighting.  
The pilot brought them low over the combatants and unleashed a barrage of rockets and cannon fire, wreaking havoc on the separatist forces.

In front of them, the combined fire of ground artillery brought down one of the starships trying to reach orbit.

It crashed to the ground and sent up huge clouds of dust that enveloped the gunship.

He tried to hold his breath as they flew through it but some got into his mouth, making him cough. Beside him Padmé had a hand over her mouth and was breathing through her fingers.

When they emerged from the dust, Obi-wan spotted something in the distance.

He strained his eyes trying to make it out as they approached it.

“It's Dooku!” he shouted when they came into range “Shoot him down!”

“We're out of rockets, sir” the pilot replied.

How can we be out of rockets, Anakin thought, before responding.

“Follow him then”

'We're going to need some help” Padmé said.

Obi-wan shook his head.

“There isn't time, Anakin and I can handle this”

Ahead of them, Dooku's escort climbed away and came in behind them. Their first few shots missed but then one clipped their wing sending a shudder through the ship.

Padmé lost her footing and tumbled backwards out the door with one of the soldiers.

“Damn!” he muttered as he tried but failed to catch her “Should we go back?”

“No time” Obi-wan replied “we can't let Dooku get away”

He sighed but nodded before adding “She's probably safer there”

He just hoped she wasn’t hurt, or that the clone was a medic if she was.

  


* * *

  


They pursued Dooku to the entrance of a hanger and the pilot brought the ship to a hover beside a platform sticking out from the wall it was built into.

They jumped off and followed him inside, wincing as the fighters brought down their gunship.

They slowed down when they got inside, moving cautiously towards where they could sense him.

At a closed door they paused.

“We need to be careful” Obi-wan said “Dooku was one of the best duellist's in the order before he left, we'll need to work together if we want to stop him”

“Ok, master” he replied “what do you suggest?”

“A pincer attack will give us the best chance of winning I think” 

“Alright, I'll take the right side”

“Ok, ready?”

He nodded, then they rushed through the door, lightsabers at the ready.

Dooku turned as they approached and came between him and his shuttle.

“You're going to pay for all the Jedi you've killed today, Dooku” he spat, circling around to the Count's right, while Obi-wan moved to the left.

Dooku didn't respond and merely watched them, a hint of amusement in his expression.

“Now!” Obi-wan yelled, leaping forward.

Anakin rushed forward as well, aiming a blow for Dooku's neck.

However, the Count moved as well, grabbing him with the force and hurling him into the wall with one hand while his lightsaber leapt into the other and blocked Obi-wan's attack.

Stars erupted across his vision as he hit the wall with a dull thump and falling stunned to the ground, he could vaguely see his master and Dooku fighting and attempted to get up to help but his legs wouldn't respond, so he just ended up squirming around, trying to shake off the dizziness.

There was a cry of pain, he looked up and saw his master collapse to the ground while Dooku stood over him, raising his saber for the killing blow.

With a growl, he drew heavily on the force to banish his weakness and leapt forward, catching the Count's blade just in time.

“Brave of you, boy. But I would have thought you had learned your lesson”

“I am a slow learner” he shot back, disengaging.

“Anakin!” Obi-wan shouted, throwing him his lightsaber.

He caught it and renewed his attack, swinging both blades in rapid succession and forcing Dooku back momentarily before he retaliated with a series of quick strikes that destroyed one of his sabers.

Then there was a pause, as they both circled each other, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Dooku moved first, launching into flurry of strikes that he found himself hard pressed to keep up with, then his blade was knocked aside and the Count cut off his arm.

The pain was overwhelming and he almost blacked out as he was forced back to land on Obi-wan.

He felt Obi-wan trying to adjust himself to get a better look at his wound and attempted to move as well, but the pain sent a rush of nausea through him and he stopped.

He'd expected Dooku to finish them off but it appeared that someone had come after them because he could hear the sounds of a lightsaber duel happening near them.

It went on for a minute, then there was the sound of groaning metal beside them and the the feeling of something heavy falling towards them.

He opened his eyes to see a huge column suspended above them, before it slowly moved aside and dropped to the ground behind them.

He let out a moan of relief and heard Obi-wan do them same.

Then he heard a shuttle firing up and launching out of the hanger, and despite the pain he felt a sense of failure wash over him as Dooku escaped.

Obi-wan, with a lot of groaning, got to his feet, then put his arms under Anakin's and helped him to his feet.

He stood unsteadily, the pain making him dizzy and noticed Master Yoda watching them sadly.

Obi-wan, who was still supporting him began to ask him something but was distracted by the arrival of Padmé and a squad of troopers.

She rushed over to them and seeing they were wounded, requested several of the soldiers to help them back to the gunship. 

"Don't worry" she said "there's a medic on board"

"Thanks" he managed to say in reply, then found himself with an arm around a white armoured shoulder and being led back out to the platform.

Once he was in the ship, one of them stuck a needle in his neck and the pain disappeared. 

“Thanks” he muttered, before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	11. Chapter 11

“That's the best I can manage for moment” Barriss said, letting out an exhausted sigh.

She'd spent the last 15 hours along side Switcher and his team, treating the Jedi wounded in the arena and later on, those injured in the battle to take Geonosis. Now she was absolutely shattered, barely able to keep her eyes open as she healed her last patient.

“It's great, thank you Barriss” Aayla replied, testing the movement she had in her arm. She'd been hit by a glancing shot across her back that had left a nasty burn on her right shoulder.

“Just take it easy for a day and get the bacta patch changed tomorrow” she added as Aayla stood up.

“Will do” she said, pulling her top back on and heading for the door.

“Um, you haven't...” she stopped to let out a huge yawn “you haven't seen Anakin anywhere have you” she asked quietly.

“No, sorry, I haven't” Aayla said.

“That's alright” she replied, turning away and feeling like she was going to cry.

“I'm sure he's fine” Aayla said, coming back over and putting an arm around her shoulders.

“I know” she said, wiping her eyes “I just haven't heard from anyone since the arena and I'm getting really worried”

'They're probably still out fighting, there's a few pockets of resistance left on the ground” 

“Yeah, you're right, I'm just being silly”

“No, you care about them, that's not being silly” Aayla said firmly.

“Thanks” she said, giving Aayla a tremulous smile “I told him I loved him as well”

“Really?” she said eagerly “what did he say?”

“Nothing” she smiled “I told him when we were in the arena and he didn't have a chance to respond before we were rescued. But I could sense that he was happy and felt the same way”

“That's wonderful” Aayla said giving her a hug.

“I know” she sighed, before yawning again.

“Alright, I've got submit my report, so I'll see you later” Aayla said, letting go.

“Alright, see ya”

“And get some sleep, you look like you're about to pass out” she said as she walked out the door.

“I will” she muttered as the door closed “I've just got my own reports to deal with first” 

She sank into her chair with a groan, rubbing her eyes and pulling out her datapad.

She managed to get through two reports before her head began to nod and it became too hard to focus.

“I'll just close my eyes for a minute” she said to herself, reclining the chair a bit to make it more comfortable.

“Just for a minute” she whispered as she drifted off.

What felt like only moments later she was being shaken awake.

“Wha-” she gasped as consciousness abruptly returned.

“It's only me Barriss” Luminara said with a half smile.

“Oh, Master, I'm sorry, I only closed my eyes for a minute”

“That's fine, from what I've heard you've been incredibly busy so you deserve some rest”

“No more than anyone else” she replied modestly “and I'm glad you're back, I was getting worried” she added quietly.

“Well I'm fine, not a scratch on me, which is more than most of us can say” she said with a sigh.

“How bad is it?”

Her master ran a hand over her face before responding.

“The recovery operation is still underway, but from the initial reports, over a hundred Jedi were killed”

“That's terrible” she gasped “have you heard anything about Anakin or Obi-wan?”

“You haven't heard anything?” Luminara asked, surprised. 

“No” she replied, feeling like she was going to cry again.

“They're alive” her master said, filling her with relief “and Obi-wan was only lightly wounded, he must have gone through the other medical bay otherwise you would've seen him”

“What about Anakin?” she asked hesitantly, not liking the way her master seemed to steel herself before responding.

“He... he was injured during his fight with Dooku. Badly”

“How badly?” she asked, dreading the answer.

“He's...” she swallowed “he's lost an arm”

She swayed and had to grab onto a nearby bench to stop herself from falling. Anakin, her Anakin, had lost an arm.

“Where is he?” she asked.

“In the second medbay” her master said, putting a steadying arm around her “come, I'll show you”

She walked as if in a daze while Luminara led through the ship to the other medbay, barely seeing anything as as her mind turned over what had happened to Anakin.

“He's going to be fine” her master said gently, sensing her turmoil “he'll just need a prosthetic”

She nodded woodenly, needing to see for herself before she could really believe it.

“In here” she said, when they stopped outside a door with a red cross on it.

“Thank you” she said, trying to project at least a semblance of calm.

Luminara nodded and gave her shoulder a squeeze before walking away.

She turned to the door again and took a deep breath, trying to get nerves under control before going inside.

Once she was satisfied that she wouldn't break down, she pressed the button to open the door and stepped inside.

The medbay was empty apart from Anakin, who was three beds down, propped up with several pillows and Senator Amidala who was sitting next to him.

She had to crush down the surge of jealousy the sight gave as they looked up at her entrance, both with smiles on their faces.

The Senator said something to Anakin, then stood up and walked towards the exit giving her a smile and a wink as she passed.

That confused her but she put it aside and hurried over to Anakin.

“Hey” he said with a grin, though she could also detect a hint of nervousness in his expression.

“Hey” she responded, pushing aside the accusation of “what was she doing here” and instead asking “How're you feeling”

“Not too bad, considering” he replied, holding up the stump of his right arm.

The sight of his missing arm brought back all her worries and fears, and letting out a choked sob, she threw herself onto him, wrapping him in a tight hug that he returned with one arm.

“I'm alright, really, I am” he whispered as she cried into his shoulder.

She didn't reply, but slowly her sobs quietened until they became only the occasional sniffle.

Neither of them knew how long they sat like that, but eventually he shifted under her and gently lifted her up.

She felt rather disappointed and attempted to move back further but he stopped her. Surprised, she looked up to find him staring intently at her.

“Barriss” he said quietly, using his hand to wipe away the tear tracks on her cheeks “Did you mean what you said in the arena?”

“Yes” she replied firmly “every word”

He smiled her favourite smile.

“Good, because I've been wanting to tell you this for a while now” he said, positioning himself so he could look directly at her.

“I love you Barriss”

Several things exploded in her mind as he said that, the first was a deep sense of relief that she hadn't imagined his feelings in the arena, the second an overwhelming feeling of joy and third was that she really wanted to kiss him.

Leaning forward before she could lose her nerve, she tentatively pressed her lips to his before pulling back, blushing furiously.

His arm stopped her from going too far.

She looked into his eyes and saw a mixture of joy, pleasure and desire. He reached out and took one of her hands with his, rubbing little circles with his thumb on it's back.

“Um, could... could we try that again?” he asked shyly.

She smiled and nodded.

Carefully positioning herself, she leaned towards him again until their faces were just inches apart, then, heart beating incredibly fast, she closed the distance and softly pressed her lips to his again.

His hand let go of hers and came to rest on her waist, pulling her closer.

They deepened the kiss as she snaked her arms around his neck and something unexpected happened.

The force seemed to come alive around them, radiating a sense of pureness and light that moved around them in twisting bands until it rushed towards them and merged into a brilliant golden chain between them.

They broke apart gasping for breath, their faces flushed.

 _Woah, what was that?_ she thought to herself.

 _I don't know_ Anakin thought back.

They both froze.

 _Did we just make a force bond?_ she asked.

 _I think we did_ he replied.

“Wow” she said aloud.

“Yeah, I didn't think that was possible”

“Neither did I” she replied, looking at him speculatively, sending an impression of what she wanted over their newly formed bond.

He grinned and nodded, so she wasted no time, kissing him again with all her passion, with all of the feelings she'd been holding back for the last two years, which he returned and it was like nothing she'd ever dreamed of, like they'd moved to another plane where only their passion and love existed. 

She didn't want it to end.

But inevitably it did. This time because her exhaustion caught up to her and she yawned mid kiss.

“Sorry” she muttered, pulling back.

“That's alright” he said smiling “when was the last time you got some sleep?”

“Um” she yawned again “On the transport here I think”

“What!, that's almost a full day ago”

“I know, but there were so many wounded to tend too and I was worried about you and Obi-wan and Master Luminara, and now I don't want to leave you alone” she replied.

“Well...” he began, blushing “you don't have too” he said, moving over and peeling back the covers of the bed.

She hesitated for a second, what if someone came in and found them like that, but it looked so warm and inviting that she quickly cast that aside.

After taking off her boots she climbed in beside him and he wrapped his good arm around her.

She snuggled into his side and let out a content, happy sigh.

“I love you Anakin” she whispered, already drifting off.

“I love you too” he whispered back, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

As her eyes closed, her last thought was that this was too perfect to be a dream.

  


* * *

  


Obi-wan walked of the briefing room with an internal groan of relief. The clean up operation was almost finished, but the reports kept coming and as one of the senior Jedi still alive he was required to read them, even though he was exhausted and still injured, so he sat there attempting to read through a hundred variations on the same thing until Mace took pity on him and told him to get some rest.

Which was what he was going to do, right after he'd checked on Anakin.

He wandered down the corridor towards the medbay, acknowledging the occasional salute from the clones he passed.

When he reached the medbay he found Luminara was there as well, standing in the entrance, watching something with a mixture of joy and deep sadness.

As he came up behind her, she turned and gave him a sad smile before returning to whatever it was she was watching.

He put his arm around her and followed her gaze, seeing Anakin and Barriss cuddled together on his bed.

“We were incredibly lucky” he said softly.

“Why is that?” she asked, still looking at their Padawans.

“There were nineteen Padawans involved in this operation, and they were the only ones to survive”

She didn't reply, but he could feel her horror.

He pulled her closer and she rested her head on his chest.

“I'm afraid, Obi-wan” she whispered “of what the future holds. This war is going isn't going to be easy and I fear what it will cost us”

“I am as well, but we have each other, and our Padawans. Together I'm sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us” he replied, trying to lighten the mood.

“And they have each other as well” she added, nodding towards their Padawans.

“Yes, their friendship will be a light in the coming dark times”

She let out a sigh that he knew from experience meant she was disappointed with him, but he had no idea what he'd done or said so he ignored it.

“I think they'll be fine for a while, we should get some sleep ourselves” he said.

“Yes” she said, though she was still reluctant to leave.

“I've got a cabin we can use for at least eight hours without being disturbed” he said suggestively.

“And what did you have in mind?” she smirked.

“Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep” he offered.

“That does sound nice” she replied, yawning.

“This way, then” he said with a smile as he started off down the corridor.

  


* * *

  


Their return to Coruscant wasn't a triumphant one, with over one hundred and thirty Jedi dead and bringing with them the news that war had broken out.

The four of them had gathered on the bridge of the Protector, along with Padmé and Artoo and Threepio who had been found during the recovery operations.

They watched as they entered the atmosphere, the skies cleared for their arrival.

“What's going to happen now?” Padmé asked as they approached.

“The Chancellor will officially declare war on the Separatists and if he gets his way the Jedi will lead the clones into battle” Obi-wan said grimly.

“Is that likely to happen?”

“At this point I can't see any alternative” he sighed.

They were silent as they landed in the newly commissioned GAR complex and made their way down to the hanger and disembarked.

They stood together saying their goodbyes before they had to go their separate ways.

“Whatever happens, you're always welcome at my place” Padmé said, shaking Obi-wan's hand “all of you” she added looking round at Luminara and Barriss as well.

“Thank you Senator” Luminara replied, while Barriss just nodded.

She got to him and awkwardly shook his left hand.

“Thank you for protecting me” she said.

“You're welcome” he said.

As she turned to leave he had a sudden thought.

“Hey, Padmé, wait a sec” he called.

“Yes?” she said turning back.

“Um, would you be able to take Threepio with you? I'm not sure what to do with him until I can take him back and I can't take him with me” he asked.

“Of course, I'd love to have him” she said with a smile.

“Thanks”

“You're welcome” she replied, looking like she was thinking something through.

She reached some kind of decision and asked “would you take Artoo, an astromech would be far more use to you and you know how reliable he is”

“I don't know” he replied.

“Please” she said.

“Alright” he said “I'll take good care of him”

She smiled, before saying one last goodbye and heading for the shuttle waiting for her, Threepio in tow.

Once she was gone they headed to the transport waiting to take them back to the temple.

They got aboard and took their seats, Barriss sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, yawning.

Then they lifted off and flew towards the temple.

  


* * *

  


“It still doesn't feel right” Anakin said, as he flexed his new hand.

Once they'd gotten back to the temple he'd gone straight to the healing ward with Barriss, where they'd attached the connection for a cybernetic arm to his stump, before fitting him with a top of the range bionic arm.

And for anyone else, it would have been fine. The arm contained some of the best technology the republic produced.

But to him, there was a lot of room for improvement, so they'd retired to his quarters and spent the better part of the last 4 hours disassembling and reworking the arm.

“I told you you should've read the manual before pulling it apart” Barriss said, looking up from said manual “what's wrong now?”

In response he pressed a real finger against his bionic pinky, making the rest of the fingers bend flat against his hand, the wrong way.

“I see” she replied, clearly struggling not to laugh “it looks like you've got the motor controls mixed up”

She flicked through the manual and brought up a holographic display of it's circuits. Expanding the section with the motor controls, she got up and came over to sit beside him.

“Let's go through it again, you've got the primary motivator hooked up with the black wires?” she asked.

“Check” he said.

“The input processor is connected to the CPU with the purple wires?”

“Yep”

“And you've got the red motor control wires connected to the blue input wires?”

“Blue?, no they're connected to the green ones, greens standard for input wires, why are they blue?”

“I don't know, that's what the plans say” she responded.

“That's stupid” he said, glaring at his arm, before switching it off and beginning to take it apart again.

Barriss sighed, but put the manual down and began helping him disassemble it.

Once it was in pieces again they quickly changed out the offending blue wires and replaced them with the green ones and when that was done they began putting it together again, adding a few minor tweaks he wanted to try.

“Here goes nothing” he said, once it was back together and pressed the on button.

The arm came to life and after a few flexes and other motions he let out a sigh of relief.

“Ahh, that's much better”

“Good” she said.

“And thanks for the help” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“You're welcome” she replied, blushing, which he thought was cute.

They spent some time cleaning up the living room, which was a mess of tools and parts before sitting down on the sofa and cuddling.

And that was how Obi-wan found them an hour later and half asleep.

“Ah, good, you're both here” he said when he walked in.

“What is it master?” he asked, not moving from their position while Obi-wan did something with his comm.

“We have our orders” he replied “we ship out the day after tomorrow”

“Where are we headed?” he asked, sitting up straighter and feeling Barriss do the same.

“Not sure yet” he said as Luminara came through the door, carrying a bag.

“What's going on?” Barriss asked, looking at the bag her master was carrying.

“Well, Obi-wan and I are going to be out late um, planning. So I thought you might prefer to stay here with Anakin instead of alone in our quarters” Luminara said.

 _That would be nice_ he sent over their new bond.

She shot him a quick smile before answering her master.

“Sure, I'd love too” 

“Alright then, I've packed an over night bag for you” she said placing the bag on the table “and I think that's everything?” she added looking at Obi-wan.

“Yes, I think so, we'd better get going, the briefing starts soon” he said, heading for the door.

“Have fun” Barriss said as they walked out.

Her master gave her a wink while Obi-wan did his best to look confused.

Then the door closed and they were alone again.

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“I don't know, what time is it?” she replied.

“Um, it's almost nine” he said.

“Hmm” she said, snuggling into him “I'm kinda tired, maybe an early night”

“Ok, you can have my bed, I'll go on the sofa” he said attempting to get up but she stopped him.

“I don't mind sharing” she said quietly.

“Ok” he smiled.

They got up and got ready for bed.

He finished first so he climbed into bed and waited for her.

She came in about five minutes later, dressed in a long black night gown, with her hair down, framing her face.

“Your hair looks nice” he said as she climbed in beside him and lay down.

“Thanks” she said.

He put his arms around her and pulled her close, she snuggled back into him and sighed.

Gently, he ran his real hand through her hair, loving the way it flowed like silk through his fingers.

“Hmm, that feels good” she whispered.

He smiled and pressed a kiss to the back of her head.

 _I love you_ he thought.

 _I love you too_ she thought back.

The last thing he sensed from her was an image of them sitting on the bank of a peaceful lake, holding hands and watching the sun set, before sleep took him.

  


* * *

  


The newly commissioned GAR headquarters was a hive of activity as their fleets prepared to depart for the front lines.

Anakin would be deploying with his master who was commanding the 7th sky corps while she and her master would leading the 41st elite corps.

Their masters were saying goodbye behind them so, while no one was looking she wrapped her arms around Anakin's neck and pulled him into one last, passionate kiss, which he returned enthusiastically.

“Don't die” she said, only half jokingly when she pulled away.

“I'll do my best” he said drily, giving her another peck on the lips “don't you die either”

“I'll do my best” she said with a small smile.

“Come on Anakin, we need to be going” Obi-wan called.

“Coming” he said over his shoulder, before giving her one last hug.

“I'll call you as often as I can” he said as he walked away.

“I'll hold you to that” she said back, trying hard not to cry.

Her master stepped up beside her and together they watched them until they disappeared inside their cruiser.

“Come” Luminara said as the boarding ramps began to retract “we need to be going as well”

She nodded, casting one last look at the cruiser before following her master to their own, wondering if she'll ever see him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed it : )


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After 4 months on the front, Anakin returns to the temple where a surprise awaits him.

After four long months on the front lines they were returning to Coruscant, officially so they could resupply and take on new troops while giving the rest of their men a brief respite from the fighting. Though Anakin suspected an ulterior motive, which was confirmed by Obi-wan's cagey response when he asked why they were really returning.

He suspected it had something to do with their last campaign on Muunilinst. They'd been sent there after the worlds ruling body had requested aid when rogue elements of their government had allied with the separatists and brought in large armies of droids.

His master had led the ground invasion while he'd been in command of their space forces, and the battle had gone well, his forces had soundly defeated the droid forces in orbit and were pursuing them as they retreated when an unknown fighter had entered the battle, destroying his advanced forces.

The pilot was exceptionally good, almost as skilled as him in starfighter combat and force sensitive as well from the speed of their reactions.

And when they'd escaped into hyperspace after the last of the droids were defeated, his first instinct was to follow them, but the last four months of fighting had instilled a new respect for the chain of command so he'd requested permission to to pursue from his master.

Obi-wan had agreed, reluctantly. So he'd pursued the fighter to a jungle world and confronted his mysterious foe.

It had turned out to be the Sith assassin, Asajj Ventress, who was rumoured to be serving Count Dooku.

They'd fought and though he'd defeated her in the end, she'd given him a new scar across his eye.

Which he was now examining in the mirror in his quarters. He'd refused bacta treatment on it, wanting to keep it as a reminder of what happens when you get careless and reckless.

“One more for the collection” he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair which was getting quite long now, he'd need to get a hair cut once they got back.

There was a knock on his door.

“Come in” he said.

The door opened and his master stepped inside.

“We're dropping out of hyperspace shortly and the council wants to speak to us immediately so we'll be taking a shuttle direct to the temple” he said.

“Great” he replied dryly “I wonder what for this time”

“Probably due to the fact you're the first to survive an encounter with Dooku's assassin” Obi-wan said with a slight smile “they want to hear your report first hand”

“Couldn't I have just done it by holo?” he groaned.

“Probably, yes. But I think they have something else in mind as well” Obi-wan replied, with a knowing smile.

“And what is that?” he asked curiously.

“You'll have to wait and see” was all he got in reply.

He shot his master a dark look, before returning to his reflection.

“Admire yourself later, we need to be going” Obi-wan said.

“Whatever you say master” he replied with a grin, pulling on a fresh set of robes and following him down to the hanger.

  


* * *

  


“Thank you for your report, Obi-wan” Master Windu said when his master finished speaking.

“Now, Anakin, tell us of your encounter” he continued.

He took a moment to organize his thoughts before beginning.

“I followed her to Yavin IV and she ambushed me when I landed. We fought for a while and my fighter was destroyed, then she retreated into one of the temples and I followed her all the way to the top”

He paused to draw a breath before continuing.

“We continued our duel and I could feel she was trying to force me to use the dark side, but I resisted and managed to force her off a cliff” he said, not telling them that he had only resisted by thinking of Barriss and what she would think if he used the dark side.

“That's quite impressive for a Padawan” Master Koon said.

“Indeed” Master Windu said.

“More to add do you?, young Skywalker” Yoda asked when he noticed he still looked thoughtful.

“Yes, master” he said “It's just a feeling but the whole thing feels like it was a trap, like she was trying to tempt me with the dark side”

“What makes you think that?” Master Windu asked.

“It was almost too easy to beat her, I could sense she wasn't trying her hardest”

“Hmm, disturbing this is” Yoda said “look into this we must”

“That will be all for now Skywalker, you may go” Master Windu said, giving him a rare half smile.

“Thank you masters” he replied, bowing before departing the chamber.

Outside, he nodded hello to a Togrutan initiate that was sitting beside the door with a very worried look on her face, before stepping into the lift and pushing the button for the living quarters, wondering what the girl had done to earn an audience with the council.

Once he was back in his quarters, he considered making a message for Barriss before deciding to wait till the morning.

Instead he pulled out his tool kit and began tinkering with his arm, the fingers had been a bit twitchy the last few days and he hadn't had time to fix it yet.

While he worked he thought back over the fight, running over every detail he could remember and returning to the conclusion that he had been set up.

The thought disturbed him as much as it had the first time, it meant that the Sith and Dooku in particular were trying to turn him.

Still, they wouldn't succeed, he had too much to live for on the light side to ever consider joining the dark side.

He finished with his arm, then decided he would actually send a message to Barriss, so he pulled out his holocomm and began recording, just telling her what he'd been up to since his last message and was just beginning to describe the battle with Ventress when Obi-wan returned. He paused the recording and looked up as his master came over and sat beside him on the sofa, a sense of barely contained excitement coming off him.

“What's happened?” he asked.

“Hmm, oh, nothing” he replied in a tone that said the complete opposite.

“Come on Obi-wan, you can tell me” he said.

“Well, I suppose I could” he replied thoughtfully “but I'm not”

“Why not” he asked, getting slightly irritated.

“Because....” he began, frowning as if he was giving it serious though “I don't want to”

“What!”

“You heard me, now, I don't know about you but I'm dying for some food that isn't squeezed out of a ration tube”

He watched with mild disbelief as Obi-wan got up and began preparing a meal for them while humming happily to himself.

 _What's got him so happy_ he thought, he was usually only like this after spending time with Luminara and he was pretty sure she wasn't on world.

He joined Obi-wan at their table when he served whatever it was he was cooking, still eyeing him suspiciously, but Obi-wan merely smiled and began eating.

They ate in silence, both enjoying their first real meal in months. Afterwards he did the dishes before returning to the lounge to find Obi-wan preparing to leave.

“Where are you going?” he asked suspiciously.

“You mean where are we going?” he replied.

“Fine, where are we going?”

“It's a surprise” he said, looking almost unbearably smug “Now hurry up, we don't want to be late”

Grumbling to himself about annoying masters, he followed his own out the door and down the hall to the lift.

  


* * *

  


“What are we doing here?” he asked when they stopped outside a set of large, intricately carved doors.

“Patience, Anakin. All will be revealed soon”

He contained his irritated sigh with difficulty as Obi-wan approached the door.

“Wait here” he said over his shoulder as he slipped inside.

He sighed and nodded.

A minute later the doors opened again, revealing a dark room.

“Enter, Padawan Skywalker” a voice that sounded like Yoda's said.

He stepped inside and approached where the voice had come from, vaguely seeing a semi circle of figures around him.

Then the doors closed, plunging the room into darkness.

In front of him a lightsaber ignited.

“Kneel” Yoda commanded.

He knelt in front Yoda, as the excitement built in him, an idea of what was happening forming in his mind.

Around the circle the other figures ignited their sabers as well and he could see Obi-wan's face illuminated next to Yoda, giving him an encouraging smile.

“Padawan Skywalker, by your actions you have proved yourself worthy of you status as a Padawan of the Jedi order and on the recommendation of your master you are raised to the rank of Knight”

With a sudden motion, Yoda flicked his lightsaber down and severed his Padawan braid.

“Rise, Knight Skywalker”

He got to his feet, so many emotions passing through him that he didn't know what to feel. He glanced at Obi-wan, who gave him a nod of approval and a hint of a grin.

“Step forward, Knight Kenobi”

Obi-wan stepped forward and stood beside him, before kneeling as well.

“By the authority of the the council, I grant you the rank of master and give you a seat on the high council” Yoda said, gently bringing his blade down over each of his shoulders.

“Rise Master Kenobi”

Obi-wan stood, and though he kept it well hidden, Anakin could still sense his former master's joy at being made a master.

“Now” Yoda continued, with a hint of amusement in his tone “celebrate your promotions I'm sure you want too, have the night off you may. Tomorrow afternoon report to the briefing room for your next deployment”

“Thank you masters” Obi-wan said, sending him a mental nudge.

“Thank you” he said, before they both turned and walked out of the room.

“Congratulations” he said once they were outside “I can't believe you've got a seat on the council”

“Thank you, I was surprised myself when they offered it to me” Obi-wan replied “and congratulations as well, you've earned it”

“Thanks” he replied “what do you want to do to celebrate?”

“Rogue's Cauldron?” Obi-Wan suggested with a grin.

“Alright” he replied with a matching grin.

  


* * *

  


Anakin groaned as he opened his eyes and the light of the morning made his head throb, that 17th moonraker had been one too many, but he couldn't let that Wookiee beat him, the honour of the Jedi order had been at stake, or so he recalled Obi-wan telling him.

Suppressing the pain with the force, he glanced over at what had disturbed him, his commlink which was still chiming.

With another groan, he reached over and picked it up and checked to see who was calling him.

Focusing on it's little screen, he saw the name Chancellor Palpatine in the caller id slot.

“Urgh” he groaned, pulling himself into a sitting position before accepting the call, making sure it was set to voice only.

“Chancellor” he said “what can I do for you?”

“Anakin my boy, I just heard about your knighting and was hoping you could come over sometime today”

“Of course your excellency” he replied, glancing at his chrono “I can be over there in an hour”

“Excellent, just come right in when you arrive” the Chancellor said before hanging up.

“Yes, Chancellor” he muttered, tossing the comm back onto the drawers beside his bed.

He seriously considered going back to sleep, but reluctantly decided it would be best to get up and do something about his pounding head.

After making himself somewhat presentable, he staggered out into the lounge to find Obi-wan sitting at the table reading from a datapad, drinking caf and looking totally unaffected by the previous evening.

“Morning” Obi-wan said as he slumped into a chair, looking far too pleased with himself.

“Shut up” he mumbled, resting his head on the cool table surface.

“Anakin” he began sternly “that's no way to speak to a council member”

Raising his head, he glared at his former master who totally ignored it, though his could sense his amusement.

“Try this” he said, forcing a cup of something towards him.

“What is it?” he asked, sniffing it.

“A hangover cure”

“Oh, great” he replied, downing it in one go. The effect was almost instant, the pounding headache just disappeared and the nausea vanished as well.

After having a quick breakfast he got up.

“What times the briefing?” he asked as he headed for the door.

“One” 

“Alright, I should be back by then”

“Where are you going?” Obi-wan asked, looking up from his datapad.

“The Chancellor wants to see me, again” he replied, not quite keeping his displeasure out of his voice.

“That man's got an unhealthy obsession with you” Obi-wan said, thinking back on all the times Anakin had been called to see him and what Anakin had told him of the meetings afterwards.

And it had only gotten worse since the war had started.

“I know” he replied bitterly “but he's the Chancellor, what can I do”

“Just don't let him get to you, we're going to be deployed again in a few days so you won't have to see him again for a while”

“Alright, see you at the briefing then”

He was halfway to the lift when he remembered he'd never sent the message to Barriss.

“I'll do when I get back” he muttered to himself, stepping into the lift.

  


* * *

  


“Ah Anakin, good of you to come over so quickly”

“It's no trouble Chancellor” he replied, managing to keep a pleasant expression on his face.

“Good, and congratulations on your promotion, though if I may say so you should have been knighted years ago” the Chancellor continued.

“Thank you Chancellor, but I wasn't ready then”

“Nonsense my boy, you've been ready for years, they've just made you doubt yourself” 

He sighed internally, but didn't want to have this argument again so he just nodded.

“If you say so, your excellency”

“I do” he replied, fixing him with a stern gaze, before gesturing him to take a seat.

An hour later, he managed to escape by saying he had a briefing to attend before practically running from the room.

Outside he let out a sigh of relief and made his way down to where he'd parked his speeder, trying to put his conversation with the Chancellor out of his mind.

It left him distracted, which resulted in him not seeing the woman in front of him until he'd almost walked into her.

“Sorry!” he said, stopping himself just in time “Padmé?”

“Anakin?, wow, I didn't recognise you” she replied, staring at him in disbelief “What happened to your eye?”

“A gift from Ventress” he muttered, running a hand through his hair “How're you?”

“Nothing to complain about” she said looking at him sadly, taking in his new scars and slightly grimmer look “do you have time for lunch? I was just about get something”

“I would love too, but I can't” he replied “I've got a briefing to attend in less than an hour”

“But I might be able too in the next couple of days” he added, seeing her deflate slightly at his response “I'll just need to find out when we're deploying”

“Alright” she replied, looking slightly happier “call me if you can, it'd be great to catch up with you and Obi-wan”

“I will” he replied.

She gave him a small smile, before walking away. A sense of sadness and loneliness following her.

  


* * *

  


A few days later, having received their new campaign assignment and a promotion to General, he was on his way to meet the Captain of the legion that had been assigned to him, the 501st. And from what he'd heard of the man he was one of the best officers in the GAR.

During their last campaign the legion's Commander and Jedi General had been killed, leaving the Captain, as the highest ranking officer, to finish the job.

Which he'd done against all odds, using a number of unorthodox tactics, before the legion was recalled to Coruscant to be rebuilt from it's tattered remnants.

He liked the sound of him, and was eager to meet him.

He landed his speeder outside the GAR barracks that were assigned to the 212th and headed inside, making a mental note to tell Obi-wan that Padmé had invited them over for dinner tonight.

When he arrived at the briefing room Obi-wan and Cody were already waiting for him, they both nodded hello before turning back to the holochart of the blockade around their target.

“Do you know anything of this Captain?” he asked Cody.

“Yes sir, we trained together and you won't find a more reliable Captain in the GAR”

“That's good to hear” he replied.

A short while later the door opened and the Captain stepped inside, helmet under his arm. He approached them and saluted.

“CT-7567 reporting for duty sir” he said.

“At ease” he said, casually returning the salute “Captain?”

“Rex, sir”

“Captain Rex, it's good to meet you” he said, examining the captain, who was unlike any of the other clones he'd met. Blond hair, heavily painted armour with a battle kama and shoulder pauldrons he'd only seen on ARC's “I've heard a lot about you”

“Thank you, sir” Rex replied “Cody's told me a lot about you as well”

“All bad probably” he said with a grin, knowing Cody wasn't a fan of his frequent violations of regulations.

“And all true” Cody muttered.

Rex turned to glare at Cody.

“His tactics may be unconventional, but from all the reports I've read they're very effective” Rex said, turning back to Anakin “I look forward to serving with you sir”

“Thank you Rex, I do as well” he said, clapping him on the shoulder.

The touch triggered something in his memory, like they've met before.

“Have we fought together before?, you feel familiar” he asked.

“Yes, I was in the gunship that extracted you from the arena on Geonosis, and when we were pursuing Dooku I fell out of the gunship with Senator Amidala”

Cody let out a snort that quickly changed to a cough.

“I also” Rex continued, ignoring Cody “carried you out of the hanger and gave you the painkiller”

“Ah, yes. I remember now” he replied, while Cody continued to cough.

“You alright there Cody” Obi-wan asked, looking at his Commander with concern.

“Yes sir” Cody replied “Just remembering the helmet cam footage of it”

“Ahh” Obi-wan responded “Well, now that we're all here, let's begin the briefing”

“Yes, General” the clones replied while Anakin just rolled his eyes, making a note to ask Cody for a copy of the footage.

They gathered around the holoprojector.

“Where are we headed?” Rex asked.

“Christophsis” Obi-wan replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, leave a comment if you enjoyed it. : )


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barriss and her company prepare to assault the separatists position.

“Medic!”

Barriss deflected several blaster bolts back at the droid platoon that was trying to rush their position, sending three, smoking to the ground before looking around for the source of the call, honing in on the pain she could sense.

She spotted the trooper about 10 metres away crouched over a fallen brother.

Hurrying over, she knelt beside them and reached out to him in the force, examining his injuries.

A blaster bolt had hit him in the chest, taking part of the plate with it and burning the skin beneath it.

“I'm dying, Commander” he gasped.

“You're not dying Nexu” she told him “It's just a flesh wound”

“You're sure?” he asked.

“Yes, now stop talking, I need to focus”

Drawing on the force, she did a quick heal on him, taking most of the pain and clearing the burn.

Nexu let out a sigh of relief as the pain disappeared.

“Thanks Commander, you're the best”

“Don't mention it” she said drily, before turning to the trooper who was still standing protectively next to her “Tabs, can you take him back to the medbay?”

“Yes Commander” he replied, hauling Nexu to his feet and putting an arm under his shoulders.

She watched them walk back through their lines for a moment before returning to the battle and she and her remaining men quickly destroyed most of the remaining droids, the survivors retreated.

“Do we pursue them Commander?” her Captain asked, coming over to her.

“No” she responded “our orders are to hold this position, and they could be leading us into an ambush. We'll tend to our wounded and get ready for their next attack”

“Very well, I'll see to it” he said, and turned to walk away.

“Thank you”she replied “and Russ, good work”

“Thank you Commander” he said, before continuing on his way.

She sighed, clipping her lightsaber to her belt and heading to the medbay of their outpost.

Of her company of 150 men, only 17 had been wounded and none had died this time, which she was really proud of. After four months of fighting she was finally getting the hang of commanding troops.

Switcher, Bev and Besom were already at work, tending to their wounded brothers when she walked in.

“Commander” Switcher said with a nod, bandaging an injury on a trooper's arm.

“Hey, how're we looking?”

“Nothing too serious this time” he replied “Cuir could use your attention though”

“Alright” she said, walking over to the trooper, who had been shot in the back and had a nasty burn and cuts from his shattered back plate.

“Hey Cuir, how're you feeling?” she asked, he was a relatively new addition to her company, part of the reinforcements they'd received at the start of this campaign less than a month ago. She'd gotten to know him quite well in that short time though, since he was wounded pretty much every battle they'd been in.

“Not as bad as last time” he said with a grin.

She shuddered at the memory. Last time he'd been too close to an exploding tank and been half cooked by the explosion and they'd had to cut his armour off him because it had fused to him.

“What happened this time?”

“A concussion round from an SBD I think” he replied.

“Lucky” she muttered, looking over the wound, deciding where to start.

The shrapnel wounds looked the worst, so she set to work and quickly healed the worst of them before moving on to the burns. Once those were healed she stuck a bacta patch on what was left. 

“Try not to move around too much for the next few hours” she told him sternly.

“I won't” he replied “I'm just gonna grab some food and crash on my bunk”

“Good, now get outta here” she said with a grin, turning to her next patient.

In less than an hour they'd dealt with all the wounded men.

“Thanks again, Commander” Nexu said, as she finished healing what was left of his burns.

“You're welcome” she replied with a tired smile.

On the other side of the medbay Bev stretched and let out a groan while Switcher and Besom tidied up the last of the mess left over from treating the men.

“We're going to hit the mess if you want to join us?” Switcher said, as he tossed a few sheets into the laundry crate and began washing his hands.

“Um” she said, thinking. What she really wanted to do was just collapse onto her bunk for 8 hours, but, she hadn't eaten since before the battle started and her stomach was making that known.

“Alright” she said, when her stomach gave a loud growl.

They filed out of the medbay and headed for the mess, not saying much as the exhaustion from 10 hours of fighting caught up with them.

At the mess they grabbed a tray of food and took a table.

“I wonder what it is?” Besom said, poking at his food with a spoon.

“I find it best not to think about it” she said, digging into her own plate of vaguely pink mush and swallowing a mouthful.

The others at the table faked shudders and pulled disgusted faces and she had to hold back a snort, it wasn't that it tasted bad, it was the texture of sandy glue that made it unpleasant to eat.

“Commander, stop, you're going to make me sick” Nexu groaned, holding up a hand to block the sight of her eating another spoonful.

This time she couldn't help it, letting out a snort while the the rest of them chuckled.

“What's so funny?” Tabs asked, taking a seat beside Bev and taking a sip from his caf.

“Nexu was just commenting on the quality of today's rations” Switcher said. “Sugar?” he added, offering him a little white box.

“Thanks” Tabs replied, shaking some into his cup and taking another sip. His face contorted into an immensely disgusted expression and he spat the caf back out.

“Switcher!” he choked, as the rest of the table burst out laughing. She was smiling as well, no matter how many times it happened, Tabs always fell for it.

“How many times is that now?” Bev asked with a grin.

“I don't know” Switcher replied, taking back the box “But I'm almost out of salt”

“He fell for it again?”

“Yep” she said as Captain Russ joined their group as well.

Russ just sighed and began eating his food, while Tabs left and returned with a fresh cup.

After chatting for a bit longer, she finished her food and stood.

“I've got to report to my master, then I think I'll try get some sleep” she said as she left.

“Alright, see you tomorrow Commander” Russ said.

“Good night Commander” Switcher said.

She gave them a wave as she stepped out of the mess and made her to the command centre.

Stifling a yawn, she called her master and waited for it to connect. 

“Master” she began with a respectful nod, when Luminara's hologram appeared.

“Barriss” she replied “ how's our flank doing?”

“We're holding strong and we've just repelled another attack”

“Good, any casualties”

“No master” she replied, and she couldn't help the note of pride that entered her voice as she said that.

“Excellent, we'll need every man for the next push”

“When will that be?” she asked, slightly apprehensive. As much as she wanted to finish this campaign and get off this world, big pushes inevitably left a lot of their men dead and she didn't want to lose any more than she already had, those ones were already hard enough to sleep with and she hadn't even known them, she didn't want to find out what it was like to lose one she knew. 

“In the next couple of days, I'm just waiting for a final report from my scouts” 

“Alright, we'll be ready”

“I know you will” her master replied, giving her a smile that was becoming rarer and rarer as the war continued.

She gave her a nod and disconnected the call.

She stared at the space the hologram had been in for a while, hoping the war ended soon because her master was growing more and more withdrawn as their casualties mounted.

Or at least a break from the fighting, a chance to see Anakin and Obi-wan again.

Yawning again, she left the command centre, nodding to the clones she passed on the way to her quarters.

She shut the door behind her and let out a groan of relief as she sank into her bed.

After kicking off her boots she removed her cowl and sat cross-legged on the bed, pulling out her holocomm to check for any messages from Anakin.

To her delight there was one, so she placed it down in front of her and pressed play.

A small holo of him appeared, greeting her with his usual smile before telling her briefly what he'd been up to since his last message.

She let out a gasp when she noticed the new scar over his eye and missed the first part of his message.

 _“....And then I had an encounter with Asajj Ventress and got this”_ he continued, running a finger over the scar. 

He looked as though he was going to add more but something on his end distracted him and the recording ended.

She let out a disappointed sigh and was about to turn it off when another holo appeared, this one looking like it was a few days later since he was wearing different clothes and....

And his Padawan braid was gone.

 _”I got knighted!”_ he announced, a huge smile on his face.

She watched with a smile of her own as he added he'd been given his own legion and promoted to General and that they were now heading to Christophsis.

 _”Hopefully we'll see each other soon. I love you.”_ he finished, giving her a soft smile before the message finished.

“I love you too” she whispered.

She thought about making a message for him but decided she would do it tomorrow because she could barely keep her eyes open.

She pulled off her outer robes and climbed under the covers and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  


* * *

  


_Screams fill the air_

_Her men lying dead around her_

_Anakin's lifeless eyes staring accusingly at her_

_Gasping for breath as all the death washes over her_

She shot awake, panting and dripping with cold sweat. 

Just a dream she told herself, taking a deep, shuddering breath. Feeling tears run down her cheeks.

She wiped them away and glanced at the chrono. _04:17_. Too early to get up but she couldn't face going back to sleep again.

She got up and went over to her meditation pillow. Perching herself on top of it, she tried to meditate but couldn't clear her mind of the nightmare, the images and screams of her dying men.

Getting increasingly desperate for something to sooth the pain, she remembered the little holoprojector Anakin had given her what seemed like a lifetime ago.

Forcing her bag over to her, she pulled it out and activated it.

As it began playing she felt the pain slowly disappearing as she watched the images of them from a more innocent time, before the horrors they'd both lived through.

She watched it until she heard the rest of the base waking up and after finishing one last video, got up as well and went to get some breakfast.

  


* * *

  


_”The attack will begin at 05:00 tomorrow”_ her master announced once the briefing was underway.

Beside her, Russ shifted and she could sense his eagerness to take the fight to them after weeks sitting around holding their ground.

_”While my forces attack their main position, yours will attack from the west flank and destroy their heavy cannon emplacements”_

She frowned at the holomap that accompanied the briefing, the area her master had indicated was basically a cliff face.

“It's going to take us time to get into position” she said.

_”Yes, it will. So you'll need to get into position tonight”_

She shot Russ a glance.

“We can do it” he said “we'll need to wait for night to fall and use ascension cables because jet packs will give us away” 

“Total darkness is at 21:15” he continued “If we're ready to go by then, it'll take us 3 hours to get the company into position, allowing for any delays we'll be in position by 01:30” 

_”Alright, make the preparations. Begin your attack when I give the signal”_

“Yes master” she replied “May the force be with you”

 _”And you”_ she replied, before her hologram disappeared.

“Well Captain” she said turning to Russ “It's a 2 hour journey to the staging zone so that gives us 10 hours to prep with an hour to spare”

“We'd better brief the men then” he said and they headed for the area that they'd converted to a briefing room while Russ sent out company wide alert to report to the briefing room.

  


* * *

  


“Everyone's in position Commander” Russ said as he crouched down beside her.

“Good” she replied, glancing at her chrono “47 minutes to go”

He nodded and settled down to wait, chatting to Cuir who was part of her ascension group.

Their plan was simple, they were to scale the cliff face about 10 klicks west of the target and carefully make their way over to it, hopefully avoiding detection and reach the position overlooking the cannons before dawn.

She glanced around at the men near her, wondering who wasn't going to make it this time and pulled out the necklace Anakin had given her, holding it tightly in her hand.

Far too quickly, the time to move came.

Pressing a kiss to the gem, she tucked it back inside her robes and moved with the rest of her squad to the cliff face. 

“After you Commander” Cuir said, and she could hear his grin.

“Thanks” she replied, leaping a third of the way up, pushing off a handhold and making it the rest of the way.

Around her, ascension cables landed and bit into the rock and soon her entire company was up with her.

Then they formed up and headed for the target, no one was talking and they were all being as quiet as possible.

A few hours later, the advanced guard signals a halt and tells them they're there.

Her and Russ head forwards to see and they are right on target.

Russ told the men to get some rest and organised a watch rotation, while she continued to watch the target, planning their approach, mentally marking targets and where the counter attacks were likely to come from.

After everything was organised to his satisfaction, Russ came and joined her, neither of them wanting to sleep.

The rest of the night passed swiftly and before she knew it it was 30 minutes to zero hour.

All the were ready, they were just waiting for her master to give the go ahead.

Right on time her comm chimed.

“Begin your attack” was all she said before disconnecting.

She nodded to Russ who transmitted the orders.

At her nod, the men with the rocket launchers fired at the cannons and all hell broke loose.

  


* * *

  


Hours later, the battle was over. And 12 of her men were dead, including Cuir.

She'd found him crumpled at the base of one of the walls, a single blaster wound to the chest.

It had taken her 20 minutes to pull herself together enough to call some men to carry him back to their temporary camp.

The victory was decisive, with all separatist forces destroyed, but it felt hollow to her with half her company in the medbay and 9 still missing.

She'd been helping with the search to find them until her master had requested to meet her at the temporary command centre set up in the ruins of the droids base.

Her master looked up from the map she was studying when she entered.

“Ahh, Barriss, how's your company doing?”

“64 wounded, 12 dead and 9 still missing” she reported dully, trying to keep the pain she felt out of her voice.

Luminara felt it anyway, and came over to her.

“I know it's hard losing men” she said quietly, giving her shoulder a squeeze “But that's what happens in war and no matter how hard we try we can't save everyone”

She gave a jerky nod, not trusting herself to speak.

Luminara sighed.

“We'll be on world for another 2 weeks to clean up what's left of the droids, then we're returning to Coruscant”

She perked up a bit at that news, a break at last.

“How long will we be there for?” she asked.

“A week, we're receiving fresh troops and are being given some time to recoup”

“That will be nice” she said quietly, though she felt a pang sadness that Anakin wouldn't be there too.

“Yes, it will” Luminara said wistfully, and she could tell she was having the same thought she was.

“Was there anything else you needed me for?” she asked.

“No, that's all for now Barriss, thank you”

“I'm going to go back to looking for my men then” she said.

Her master nodded and she turned and left the room, heading to where she could sense Russ still leading the search efforts.

On the way, she added the names of those she'd lost to the list she kept on her datapad, promising them that she'd remember their sacrifice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading : )


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin receives something unexpected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Battles are going to be altered to get rid of any stupid tactics used.

Anakin ran towards the sound of renewed blaster fire, stopping as he saw fresh waves of droids marching towards their position.

“They're back” he shouted.

Obi-wan came running up as well.

“I told you this victory was too easy, we never should have sent the ship back for supplies”  
“It wasn't my idea to send the ship back” he retorted. 

“Alright men, second wave incoming” Obi-wan continued, ignoring him.

He rolled his eyes and turned to Rex.

“Rex, you and your men follow me”

“Yes sir” Rex replied, beaconing to his squad and following him down an alley.

At the end of the alley is another street, which they head down till they reach the target building.

Using the force, he leapt to the top of it and heard Rex and his men following using their jet packs.

He stepped quickly to the other side of the building and looked down onto the developing battle.

They'd brought a lot more droids this time, and even several Octodroids which were wrecking havoc on Obi-wan's troops.

“What's our plan of attack sir?” Rex asked, coming up behind him.

“Follow me” he replied, leaping down onto an Octodroid and burying his lightsaber into the top of it's dome.

He must have hit it's processor core because it started spinning wildly and blasting everything in sight. 

Barely managing to keep his footing, he slashed of one of it's guns and followed it up by taking a leg, before leaping on to the next Octodroid and stabbing it through it's eyes.

Below him he could see Rex and his men attacking the third Octodroid, while Obi-wan's men pressed their attack.

The droid he was on began to smoke and spark ominously so he gave it one last slash for good measure and jumped to the last one, which fell quickly.

As it crashed to the ground, he leapt off and cut a through a B1 that was the last survivor of it's platoon as Obi-wan and his men reached his position.

“We're going to need reinforcements” he said as they deflected blaster bolts from the next wave.

“We haven't been able to get through to the Admiral” Obi-wan replied through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, all the droids in front of them turned around and began running back the way they'd come.

“They're pulling back” he said, surprised.

Then they heard the droning sound of an engine behind them and turned to see a shuttle flying through the buildings towards their landing zone.

As it passed overhead, he sensed a vaguely familiar force presence inside but he couldn't remember who it belonged to.

Putting that aside he followed Obi-wan, who almost jogging towards the landing site.

They slowed as they came to the zone, walking more sedately as the shuttle began to land.

“Our cruiser must be back” Obi-wan mused as they approached.

“Yeah, which means we can get our reinforcements”

“It looks like our problems are solved” Obi-wan continued “fresh troops, new supplies and perhaps they've even brought my new Padawan with them”

“Do you really think it's a good idea to bring a Padawan into all this?” he asked, still feeling vaguely jealous at the thought of Obi-wan taking another Padawan. He had known it was coming, but he still wasn’t ready to be replaced by his former master. 

“I spoke to Master Yoda about it, you should put in a request for one, you'd make a good teacher”

He laughed.

“No thanks”

“Anakin, teaching is a privilege” Obi-wan said, sounding slightly scolding “and it's part of a Jedi's responsibility to help train the next generation”

“A Padawan would just slow me down” he replied, imagining trying to run round the battlefield while a kid clung to his ankle.

They stopped as one of their men signalled the shuttle pilot to lower the ramp.

The ramp came down and out stepped a small, familiar looking Togrutan girl.

“A youngling?” Obi-wan said, sounding surprised, though he could also sense some amusement as well.

“And who are you suppose to be?” he asked when Obi-wan didn't add anything else.

“I'm Ahsoka” she said when she stopped in front of them, a cloud of nervous feelings hanging around her “Master Yoda sent me, I was told to tell both of you that you must get back to the Jedi temple immediately, there's an emergency”

“I don't know if you've noticed, but we're in a bit of an emergency ourselves” he said.

“Yes, our communications have been a bit unreliable but we've been calling for help” Obi-wan added.

“Master Yoda hadn't heard from you so he sent me to deliver the message” she said.

“Great,” he groaned “they don't even know we're in trouble”

“Maybe you could relay a signal through the cruiser that dropped me off?” she suggested.

“That's...not a bad idea” he conceded.

They headed over to their holocomm and while Obi-wan tried to get a signal through he watched Ahsoka, who, now that she'd delivered her message, was looking more and more nervous.

And it clicked where he'd seen her before, she'd been waiting outside the council chambers when they'd given their briefing the last time they'd been at the temple.

He felt kinda bad for her, being thrust straight into a war zone after being in the temple for most of her life.

He turned back to the holotable as Master Yoda appeared and Obi-wan explained the situation to him before they lost the signal.

“Well I guess we'll have to hold out a little longer” he said sarcastically.

Obi-wan shot him a look which said _Not in front of the kid, before turning to Ahsoka, a sense of anticipation building in him which Anakin found odd._

“My apologies young one it's time for a proper introduction” he began. 

“I'm your new Padawan learner, I'm Ahsoka Tano” 

“I'm Obi-wan Kenobi, your new Master” he replied. 

“I'm at your service Master Kenobi” she replied, feeling even more nervous “but I'm afraid I've been assigned to Master Skywalker” she finished, pointing at him. 

The first thing he felt was shock, then confusion, then anger as Obi-wan glanced at him with a carefully neutral expression, though his eyes gave him away, sparkling with contained amusement. 

Just as he opened his mouth to rage at Obi-wan he caught sight of Ahsoka looking rather worriedly at him. 

At her expression, his anger melted away. He knew what it was like to be forced upon someone and though things had worked out between him and Obi-wan, he'd spent the first few weeks worried Obi-wan would tell him he no longer wanted a Padawan. 

Sighing internally, he considered his options quickly, he'd probably end up sending her back to the temple or giving her apprenticeship to Obi-wan, but he couldn’t do that now and he wasn’t going to let her think that something was wrong with her. 

He’d just have to get through this mission, make sure she survived (preferably in one piece, he thought as he flexed his mechanical hand) and then explain to her that he wasn't ready for a Padawan, that he'd barely been a Knight for a month and that she'd be better off with someone else. 

But, he had to deal with her now, and he had never been good with younglings. He should probably find her a suitable babysitter until the fight was over. 

She still staring at him, waiting for a response so he took a breath and tried not to ruin things. 

“Well, uhm… that’s a surprise. I never-” he felt Obi-wan's disapproval through the force “I mean, I hadn’t expected you to show up here, with the communications being down” 

He smiled at his own excuse, but quickly dropped it when she said “That’s… why I’m here” in a tone that oddly reminded him of Obi-Wan. Maybe he did have something to do with this. 

No, Obi-wan had everything to do with this he thought, glancing at his former master who was practically radiating smugness down their bond. 

As thoughts of revenge swirled in his mind, a cunning plan occurred to him. Smiling to himself, he turned to walk away, calling to Ahsoka as he did. 

“Right. Well, since you’re here I should probably introduce you to my second in command" 

“Okay.” she said as she followed him. 

He followed Rex’s force signature, and managed to locate the captain fairly quickly. 

“Who's the youngling?” Rex asked when they walked up. 

“I'm Master Skywalker's Padawan” Ahsoka said “Ahsoka Tano” 

“Sir, I thought you said you'd never have a Padawan?” Rex said. 

Ahsoka shot him a hurt look. 

“Yeah, well...” he began, trying to think of a way explain it without hurting Ahsoka feelings “Obi-Wan finally talked me into it” 

“Right” Rex replied, not looking entirely convinced. 

“Anyway, there's a few things I need to take care of, can you show her the base and make sure she knows the basics?” 

“Of course sir” Rex said “Come on youngling” 

He heard Ahsoka grinding her teeth as they walked away. 

“Don’t call me youngling, I'm a Padawan” she said to the Captain. 

“Ahsoka, don’t get snippy with him, and pay attention, what he tells you may save your life ” 

“But..” she whined. 

He just gave her the look Obi-wan usually used on him. 

“Yes, master” she muttered, walking away. 

He shook his head, she was going to be a handful for whoever ended up training her. 

Now he just had to find something to take care of he thought with a grin. 

  


* * *

  


“That shield is going to make things damn near impossible” Rex said.

The droids were attacking again and this time they'd brought an energy shield, keeping it just in front of their troops as they advanced.

“And the heavy cannons will be useless against it” he continued.

“As they get closer we could try draw them into the buildings?” Obi-wan suggested “that might level the playing field”

“If that shields going to be such a problem, why don't we just take it out?” Ahsoka asked, which wasn't a bad idea he thought, if they could pull it off.

“Easier said than done” Rex replied.

“Well, I for one” He cleared his throat “agree with her. Someone has to get to that shield generator and destroy it”

“Right, well maybe you two can tiptoe through enemy lines and solve this problem together” Obi-wan said.

“Can do Master Kenobi” Ahsoka replied “come on Skyguy let's go”

He rolled his eyes, but followed after his temporary Padawan while Obi-wan gave him a look that said _now you know how it feels_.

“If we survive this” he said when he caught up to her “you and I are going to have a talk”

“Yes master” she replied, losing a bit of her enthusiasm “What's the plan?”

“You'll see” he replied “first we need to find a large box”

  


* * *

  


“This is a stupid plan” Ahsoka whispered 10 minutes later as they lay hidden beneath the box “we should fight these guys instead of sneaking around”

“Sometimes fighting isn't the best way to achieve your objectives” he replied “and as Jedi we should always try to find the non violent solution” he added, feeling he should teach her something while she was in his care.

“If you say so” she muttered as they began crawling forward.

After 20 minutes of crawling in silence she spoke.

“I think we've made it past them now, master” she said.

“We still have a ways to go before we get to the shield generator” he said.

“Do we still need this thing?” she complained “I can't take it any more, I have to stand up”

He sighed but stood as well and they began to walk forward with the box still on their heads.

This probably looks really stupid he thought as they continued down the road.

“You have got to be careful” he warned “you never know what you'll run into”

And as he said that, he did run into something, knocking them both over.

“See what I mean” he yelled, as the box came off their heads and they saw the destroyer droid turning round to face them.

The droid began firing at them and they crawled backwards until they gained their footing again.

“We can't beat it's shields” she said.

No kidding, he thought.

“Run!” he ordered.

“What!, Jedi don't run”

“I said run!” he yelled.

He waited until she started running before turning and following after her.

Behind him he heard the droid roll up and begin chasing them. 

“Ahsoka, stop” he ordered when it was close enough.

“Make up your mind” she retorted.

“I said stop!”

She stopped and as the droid rolled past her she was smart enough to slash through it with her saber.

The pieces tumbled past him and he cut through them again for good measure.

Ahsoka stepped up beside him and several things sprung to mind to say to her but he held his tongue, merely sighing and walking towards where he could see the the generator, Ahsoka trailing along behind him.

They reached the area it had been set up and she rushed eagerly forward.

“Come on” she called.

“No, wait” he replied.

“Why it's right...” she began but stumbled over a trip wire.

“Oops” she muttered, as half a dozen sentry droids rose from the ground.

“Forget about the droids, set those charges” he yelled, running forward and cutting through several of them before dispatching the rest of them.

He'd just cut though the last one when a droids body came flying down and activated a dozen more.

“Sorry!” she yelled.

“Whose side are you on anyway” he replied, as they backed him into a corner.

“I could use a little help here” he said as he blocked dozens of blaster bolts.

“Skyguy, don't move” she ordered.

“What” he muttered then turned around as the wall behind him began to groan “No no no no” he said as the wall came down around him.

Luckily the wall had a hole in it and it lined up perfectly with where he was so he was still alive.

“You could have gotten me killed!” he said when she jumped down to him.

“I know what I'm doing” she retorted.

He just shook his head and walked towards the generator.

“Did you get the charges set?”

“Yes” she replied.

“Then what are you waiting for?”

Sullenly, she raised her arm and pressed the detonation button. The shield generator exploded and the shield dissolved into nothing.

Then she turned and walked towards the edge of the platform and slumped down on the edge on it.

Suddenly he felt bad for her, it was only her first mission and she really was trying. She was a lot like him when he was younger, the same determination and drive to prove herself but without the experience to temper her enthusiasm. 

And he liked her spirit, something that was usually trained out of Jedi by her age, something that would quickly be stamped out by her master. Something he decided he didn't want to happen.

Which meant he'd have to keep her as his Padawan.

He sighed and walked over and sat down beside her.

“You're reckless little one” he began and felt her mood sink even lower “but you've shown you work well under pressure and adapt to changes rapidly so with the right training I think you'll become a great Jedi”

She looked up at him gratefully and gave him a small smile, which he returned.

“Come on” he said, getting up and heading back to base. She got up as well and followed after him, feeling a lot happier.

A gunship landed in front of them and they climbed aboard.

“Great work, General” Rex said “you too kid” he added and Ahsoka gave him a small smile.

They didn’t talk during the short ride, but he could still feel Ahsoka’s conflicted feelings in her force presence. She seemed to appreciate Rex’s compliment, but she wasn’t sure if she deserved it. Rex hadn’t seen anything except that they took down the shield generator.

He didn’t know what to say, so he just sent some reassurance through the force. She didn’t react at all, so he assumed the force bond he knew he was supposed to form with her wasn’t there yet. It didn’t worry him, it had taken him some time to get used to Obi-Wan too.

When the gunship landed, they walked over to where they could see Obi-wan and Master Yoda talking.

“Master Yoda” he said, nodding respectfully.

“Hmm, how things go with your new Padawan” he asked and could almost feel Ahsoka cringe beside him.

“She's handled herself well so far and I look forward to continuing her training” he replied, to Obi-wan and Yoda's surprise.

“Well that's good” Obi-wan said “because we have a new mission for you”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle of Teth.

The trip to Teth was relatively short and Anakin spent much of the time preparing for their assault on the monastery, the rest he spent getting to know his Padawan.

And he discovered, to his surprise, that she was more like him than he'd thought.

She was 14 and he'd put together that the only reason she hadn't been sent to the agricorps was because she'd been assigned to him, which saddened him because the more time he spent with her the greater the potential he saw and promised himself that he would make sure she reached it.

She also had a very bubbly personality and a sense of humour much like his own.

Barriss would get on well with her, then she'd help him get back at Obi-wan he thought with a grin as he walked towards the briefing room for the final planning session.

Rex and Ahsoka were already present, talking to each other when he arrived.

“Sir” Rex nodded when he walked in.

“Master” Ahsoka said with a smile.

“How're we looking?” he asked and Rex brought up a holo of the target.

“The monastery is heavily defended, scouts report at least 2 droid battalions making an aerial attack difficult, so our best option is a ground assault and to scale the mesa it's built on”

He grimaced at the holo.

“That would mean we're climbing straight into their guns”

“Yes sir, but without fighter support it's our best chance at success” Rex replied.

He frowned thoughtfully at the holo.

“I have my fighter onboard” he said after a bit “if I do a few strafing runs that could provide cover for the gunships to land enough of our troops to secure a landing site for the rest of our forces”

“That would work” Rex said after a moment “and the gunships can provide extra fire support once my company is on the ground”

“What about me?” Ahsoka asked.

“You'll be going in with Rex” he said.

“Ok” she nodded.

“Alright, lets get going” he said.

  


* * *

  


As he finished his pre-flight checks the clone in front of him gave the all clear so he lifted his fighter off and gently eased it out of the hanger and took off towards Teth's surface.

Behind him, the gunships of Torrent company left the cruiser but held back to give him time to destroy the air defences around their target.

“Beginning my approach” he announced over his comm.

 _“Copy General and good luck”_ Rex replied.

“Thanks Rex” he replied as he hit the atmosphere.

He descended down through the atmosphere and began his approach to the monastery.

“Scan the monastery and highlight any priority targets, Artoo” he ordered.

Artoo beeped in response and a moment later a holo of the monastery, with blips representing priority targets in several locations. It wasn't too bad he thought, looking it over.

The worst were a number of dwarf spider droids which were easy to deal with in a starfighter.

“This is where the fun begins” he muttered to himself as the droids began firing at him.

He dodged the incoming blaster bolts and began returning fire, destroying 3 spider droids before he passed over the target and swung around for another run.

He took out 2 more spiders and half a platoon of droids that were too slow to react before climbing away again.

“You're all clear Rex” he announced.

 _“Thank you General, we'll see you down there”_ Rex replied.

He circled over the monastery as the gunships descended from the clouds and set down in the court yard he'd just cleared.

The clones leapt out and began firing on the remaining droids.

Below him he could make out Rex's distinctive form and his Padawan's as well, fighting towards the monastery's entrance.

Suddenly, from the open door way a squadron of destroyers rolled out and deployed with their shields up.

They turned their blasters on his men, who were caught out in the open.

Before they could fire though, he lined his fighter up and blasted them to scrap.

Rex sent a salute to the sky as the rest of his men secured the entrance.

After another pass to make sure things were under control, he landed in the courtyard and jumped out.

Rex and Ahsoka came over to him.

“All secure Master” she said with a huge grin, while Rex nodded.

“Good work, both of you” he replied, feeling Ahsoka light up with the praise and looking around, the still smoking remains of over a hundred droids littered the area.

“There are too many droids here to be renegades, I sense Count Dooku's hand in this” he said.

“No problem,” Ahsoka replied “the hard part's over”

He rolled his eyes, she still had a lot to learn about war.

“Let's find the Hutt and get out of here,” he said “places like these give me the creeps”

Ahsoka nodded and as they headed towards the entrance to the monastery, a platoon formed up behind them. Taking a deep breath, he walked inside.

“I don't like this” Rex said as the walked further down the passage.

“It looks like one of those Balamorr temples I read about at the temple” Ahsoka said.

“Smugglers take these monasteries over, turn them into their own private retreat” he replied.

“And the monks just let them?” Ahsoka asked.

“Smugglers usually get what they want, one way or another” he said, them ignited his lightsaber as something moved in front of them.

A droid walked out of the darkness towards them.

“Ah, good guy or bad guy Master?” Ahsoka asked, sounding nervous.

“Who are you?” he asked as it came closer.

“Merely the humble caretaker, O mighty sir” the droid answered “you have liberated me from those dreadful battlebots, I am most thankful”

“Where is the Hutt?” he asked.

“The battlebots kept their prisoner on the detention level, I must warn you it is very dangerous down there my friend, not a place for a servant girl” the droid replied.

He felt Ahsoka bristle with indignation.

“Do servant girls carry these?” she retorted, igniting her lightsaber under the droids chin “I'm a Jedi knight”

He frowned at her, they'd have to work on her anger management.

“Or soon will be” she added, walking past the droid.

“A thousand apologies, young one” the droid said.

He sighed and turned to Rex.

“Captain, we'll get the Hutt, stay here and keep your eyes open”

“Copy that, sir” Rex replied as he walked away.

Ahsoka followed after him and together they walked down into the dungeon.

“Master,” Ahsoka said after a while “you know you're walking us into a trap?”

“I know” he replied with a smirk.

“We just passed two more droids”

“I know” he replied more firmly.

“Well I don't like this, can I just take care of them?” she asked.

“Oh, well, if you feel so strongly about it go ahead” he said as he kept walking.

He heard her saber activate and turned around to watch as she quickly destroyed the droids behind them.

“Not bad” he said once she was done “of course, you did miss one” he added, igniting his own saber and stabbing the droid that was trying to hide in the doorway behind him.

“I.... did that on purpose” she replied.

“Really?” he asked, continuing down the corridor.

She didn't respond.

“I sense our kidnapped Hutt is in here” he announced, stopping at a door that had a particularly bad odour emerging from it.

“Urgh, I smell him” Ahsoka said holding her nose.

He opened the the door and an oversized green maggot squirmed towards them with a pitiful wail.

“He's a lot younger than I thought” he said as they stared at it.

“Aww, he's just a baby” Ahsoka said, bending down to get a closer look at him “this will make our job a lot easier”

“Aww, he's so cute” she added.

“Just wait till you see what he'll grow into” he muttered.

Just then, his commlink chimed and Rex's voice came through.

_“General Skywalker, the castle is secure”_

“Thanks Rex, we've got Jabba's son, any sign of General Kenobi?” he asked.

 _“No, sir”_ Rex responded.

“Master” Ahsoka interrupted “my training didn't prepare me for this, what are we going to do?”

“Well, since you think that smelly larvae is cute, you're going to carry it” he said with a smirk before leaving the room.

  


* * *

  


_“Anakin, did you locate Jabba's son?”_ Obi-wan's holo asked 10 minutes later.

“We have him” he confirmed “but it looks like the separatists were behind his abduction, this smells like Count Dooku to me”

“I think it's little stinky you smell” Ahsoka said. 

He shot her a look before returning to the holo.

 _“I'll bet Dooku is using us to get Jabba to join the separatists”_ Obi-wan mused, running a hand through his beard.

“Master Kenobi we have another problem, this Huttlet is very sick” Ahsoka said with concern.

“I'm not sure if we van get him back to Tatooine alive Master, this hole rescue may backfire on us and I still don't think dealing with the Hutts is a good idea” he added.

_“Anakin, you know they control shipping routes in the outer rim, Jabba's cooperation is crucial to the war effort and if you let anything happen to his son our chances of a treaty with him will disappear”_

The droning sound of engines filled the air.

“Um, Master” Ahsoka said, looking up “we've got trouble”

He followed her gaze and saw two droid landers descending towards them and a squadron of vulture droids coming in for an attack.

“Defensive positions!” Rex ordered.

 _“What's going on Anakin?”_ Obi-wan asked.

“I'll have to call you back, we're under attack” he replied.

The vulture droids began firing on their position.

He drew his lightsaber and began deflecting the bolts back, covering Ahsoka as they retreated towards cover, managing to wing one that spiralled out of control and crashed into the side of the mesa.

Behind him he heard Artoo eject from his fighter with a squeal just before it exploded.

“Get inside!” he shouted at Ahsoka as his men charged the incoming droids.

Ahsoka didn't argue and took off towards the monastery entrance, Artoo following close behind.

The droids kept coming and a lucky shot from one of the spider droids took out their only AT-TE.

“Fall back” he ordered.

He held his ground in front of the door as the last of his men retreated inside, then at the last moment rolled under the closing door.

He got up and turned to Rex.

“We'll stay here till General Kenobi arrives with reinforcements”

He felt Ahsoka staring at him and turned to look at her.

“What?” he asked.

“Master, do you honestly think we can hold them off? We've got to find a way out of here”

“Our mandate is to protect the Hutt and that's what we're going to do” he said.

“Our mandate was to get this Hutt back to Tatooine and time is running out” she retorted.

Through his irritation at being back chatted by his new Padawan he could hear Obi-wan laughing at him.

“I suppose you have a plan” he sighed.

Artoo beeped a few times and Ahsoka glanced at him.

“Yes” she said “or I think so, Artoo willing”

“Alright, I'll trust you on this one, Captain hold them here as long as you can” he said before turning and following after Ahsoka and Artoo.

“Will do sir” Rex said as they walked away.

They walked deeper into the monastery until they found a console in the the throne room Artoo could patch into.

“Make it quick” he said as Artoo plugged in.

It didn't take him long, as the sounds of battle renewed above them he found a back door landing platform.

“Give me the Hutt, we'll call for a gunship to pick us up. Let's hurry” he said as they ran in the direction of the pad and he sensed a dark presence enter the monastery.

Suddenly his comm rang.

 _“Anakin come in”_ Rex's voice said.

“Anakin?” Ahsoka said.

_“We've held the droids sir”_

“That's not like Rex” he muttered.

 _“What is your location?”_ Rex asked.

“Ventress!” he growled as the scar across his eye itched.

“Dooku's assassin?” Ahsoka asked.

“She's here to kill the Hutt, come on” he said, taking off down the corridor.

After 10 minutes navigating through the maze of tunnels they got to the platform, above them a fierce air battle raged as Obi-wan's forces engaged the separatists. He opened a comm channel and called for a gunship to pick them up.

“Skywalker to Obi-wan, mark my position I need a medical ship immediately, do you copy?”

Nothing.

“They must be jamming us” he said “I'll try Rex”

“Rex, do you copy?” he said “Captain Rex please respond”

 _“I read you general, we're pinned down in the court yard”_ Rex responded.

“Do you need help?” he asked and got no response “I'll take that as a yes Captain, standby we're on our way” he ended the call and began running back into the monastery.

“Master” Ahsoka said hesitantly “Stinky is really sick, he's turning every shade of green except the one he's suppose to be. Our mission was to get him back to Tatooine alive”

“Obi-wan will get here eventually, we need Rex and his men to help us find a ship” he replied turning around to find two destroyers rolling towards them.

“Great, rolling death balls!” Ahsoka yelled, drawing her lightsaber.

They both raised their lightsabers and began deflecting the hail of blaster bolts coming towards them.

“Artoo, door!” he yelled as Ventress appeared between the droidekas.

Atroo got to the controls just in time and the door slammed shut in her face. However two red lightsabers stabbed through the door and began cutting through.

“I think now's a good time to retreat” he said.

“Retreat? That's a new word for you” Ahsoka said sarcastically.

“Maybe into the jungle” he suggested, ignoring Ahsoka.

“The briefing said that was a bad place though” she replied as they ran up to the edge of the platform.

Looking down they saw the forbidding jungle and two dwarf spider droids climbing up to them. They began firing when they spotted them, rocking the platform and disturbing the creatures that had been sleeping underneath.

“So much for going that way” he said stepping back and turning around to face the door again as Ventress cut through.

“Looks like we're out of options” he said quietly, contemplating the coming fight.

He and Ventress were pretty evenly matched, but he had a Hutt and Ahsoka to protect and he didn't like his chances.

“No, not now stinky” trying to calm the wriggling Hutt as the door crashed down in front of them.

“Master” she said suddenly “look another landing platform”

“With a ship” he added looking closely as Ventress stepped through the door.

“Nice work stinky” Ahsoka said as Ventress ignited her sabers.

“Skywalker!” she snarled “you left so fast last time I didn't get to say goodbye” then she glanced at Ahsoka “Oh look, you've got yourself a pet”

Ahsoka let out an almost feral snarl of her own and he smirked.

“Careful, she bites” he retorted.

Ventress laughed before sending a force blast at him, catching him unprepared and pushing him off the edge of the platform.

The Hutt screamed as they fell, until one of the giant bugs flew out of nowhere and he managed to land on it's back.

The bug thrashed around, trying to throw him off until he used the force to calm it down and get it under his control.

He made it fly back up to the platform and just in time as well, for Ventress had Ahsoka on the ground with a lightsaber at her throat.

“Ventress!” he yelled, making the bug charge her and knocking her back against the door.

The platform began to collapse as he turned around to get Ahsoka and she almost lost her footing.

“Grab on” he yelled, holding his right hand down.

She leapt up and grabbed hold as the platform fell away beneath her and he pulled her on behind him and flew towards the platform and safety.

Force he hoped the ship worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading : )


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Return to Tatooine and Barriss makes a reappearance.

They'd made it into hyperspace and the medical system had given them a cure for the Hutt's illness so now all they had to worry about was the piece of junk ship holding together long enough to reach Tatooine.

Anakin was in the cockpit fixing the short circuiting control panel when Ahsoka spoke up.

“His fever's broken, I think he's going to live to stink another day”

“Great” he replied “Keeping him alive wasn't as easy as you'd hoped was it?”

“Master, if you've taught me one thing it's that nothing's easy when you're around” she replied “do you think Rex and Master Obi-wan made it out okay?”

“If I know my old master, he has things well in hand” he said confidently “Now help me with this, I want the primary systems fully operational by the time we reach Tatooine”

Ahsoka nodded, then handed him the tool he was just about to ask for.

“Huh” he thought before moving on and securing the panel he'd been working on.

“You grew up on Tatooine didn't you?” she said “So for you this is like going home”

“Yeah,” he muttered, securing the last piece in place “Though I was a slave till I left so I don't have many happy memories”

“And I hate sand” he added as he felt shock explode from Ahsoka.

“You were a slave?” she asked softly.

“I was” he confirmed “But I try not to think about it”

He heard Ahsoka gulp back a question and snorted softly, then he remembered what had happened last time he was here.

“Oh, that reminds me, we need to pick up a droid, the last time I was here I accidentality stole one and I haven't been able to replace it yet”

“Sounds like an interesting story” Ahsoka said hopefully.

He chuckled.

“Oh it is, full of action, adventure, a daring rescue attempt and the event that started the clone wars”

Ahsoka leaned forward eagerly, her eyes imploring him to continue.

“But I don't have time to tell it now” he said and laughed at her disappointed expression.

“I'll tell you when this is over” he promised and she perked up “Now help me get these shield controls working”

They worked in silence for about half an hour before curiosity began building in her again.

“Yes?” he asked in the most neutral, yet encouraging tone he could.

“Hmm, oh nothing master” she muttered.

He turned to look at her.

“Ahsoka, I'm not going to bite, just ask” he said gently.

“I was just thinking about what Ventress said” she said after a moment “You've fought her before?”

“Yes” he replied “If you remember, that's what I was there to discuss with the council when we met outside the chamber”

“You remembered me?” she asked, sounding absurdly pleased.

“Of course” he replied with a smirk “I remember thinking what had you done to earn yourself a meeting with the full council”

“I hadn't done anything” she muttered defensively “I was there to be assigned to a knight, which turned out to be you”

“Ahh” he said, returning to the panel he was working on and filing that information away as evidence of Obi-wan's involvement in getting him a Padawan. Not that he was complaining, but Obi-wan had to learn there were consequences for doing things like that.

“So what happened with Ventress?” she asked after a moment.

“Well, we were fighting over Muunilinst when she joined the battle in a fighter, I engaged her and she fled the system. I pursued her to Yavin IV and we fought for hours through one the abandoned temples” he paused to grab a part he need and noticed Ahsoka staring at him, enthralled.

“Eventually, she ran up onto the roof and I followed her, thinking she was trying to escape. But she ambushed me and gave me this” he said, running a finger down the scar over his eye.

“Then what happened?” she asked eagerly.

“We fought for a while longer, then I managed to force her over the edge of the cliff the temple was built beside”

“And she survived?” Ahsoka gasped.

“Yes, unfortunately” he said, vaguely stabbing at the power coupling he was working on.

Unfortunately, he hit the main power cable which sent a surge of energy up his right arm, overloading it's circuits and sending it into spasms.

It also sent a lot of confusing signals to his brain which started giving him a serious headache.

At a loss for what to do, he simply detached it and dropped the thrashing limb to the ground as Ahsoka rushed over to see of she could help.

Ahsoka let out a terrified shriek as the arm began crawling towards her and leapt up onto the back of the pilots chair.

“Grab it, would you?” he said struggling to maintain a straight expression.

She gave him a horrified look and gripped the chair tighter.

“It's just a prosthetic” he said, sobering slightly when he got a sense of how frightened she was.

“See?” he said, forcing the the shaking limb to him and showing her the mechanical end sticking out of the glove “Nothing to be afraid of”

He felt her slowly relax and after a minute she put one foot then the other down from her perch and slowly approached him and giving the still quivering arm a poke.

An embarrassed smile spread across her face.

“Sorry master” she muttered, her face going a darker shade of orange.

“That's alright,” he replied “Can you give me a hand resetting it?” he added with a grin.

She snorted, then took a deep breath to compose herself before nodding.

“What do you want me to do?” she asked.

“Can you pull the glove off so we can get at it?”

“Yep”

He held onto the arm by the end cap as she pulled off the glove.

“You're lucky Barriss isn't here,” he said quietly “She'd be laughing her head off”

“Who's Barriss?” she asked.

“She's.... my oldest friend” he responded.

“Another knight?” 

“No, she's still a Padawan, but we've been friends since I came to the temple” he said, a little sadly, as Ahsoka popped open the panel he indicated and pressed the reset button.

At her curious look he added “I haven't seen her since the war began”

Ahsoka didn't say anything, merely closing the panel on his arm and watching as he reattached it.

“Thanks” he said, giving it a flex.

“You're welcome” she said quietly.

“Alright, let's get this fixed then get ready to revert to real space”

“Ok” she said and they got back to work again.

20 minutes later they left hyperspace and Tatooine appeared in front of them.

He sighed, he really hated this planet.

As he began their approach to the planet Artoo beeped a question.

“No Artoo I want the cannons operational first, leave the rear deflector shields for later”

“No rear shields Master, that's awful risky”

“Yes, but who's going to be trying to shoot us out here?” he asked as the console beeped an alert.

“Attack ships closing!” Ahsoka said as she looked at the display.

From behind them a stream of red blaster bolts flew past them.

“It's never easy is it” he mutter to himself, throwing the ship into a spin to throw off their aim.

It was mostly successful, but they still took a few hits to the rear.

He dove for the planet, trying to coax as much speed as he could the bucket of bolts.

“Ahsoka activate the guns” he ordered.

“They're locked in the forward position” she informed him.

He took a moment to release his frustration then turned back to Artoo.

“Artoo, see what you can do” he ordered.

Ahsoka was saying something to him, but he ignored her as he dodged another stream of laser fire.

“Why don't you go secure the Hutt” he said as he spun the ship again.

She muttered something he didn't catch and left her seat.

“Hang on back there” he said, putting the ship into a loop and coming around behind one of the fighters.

There was a thud behind him and the Hutt started crying.

“Great, you woke the baby” Ahsoka shot at him.

“I'm a little busy here” he shot back, blasting at the fighter until it was destroyed.

“Got one of them” he growled.

“What about the other one?” Ahsoka asked.

“One thing at a time” he replied, dodging another hail of cannon fire.

Another stream joined the first and he felt it hit the ship and something tear away.

The ship began to list as he struggled to maintain control.

“Artoo turn those guns around!” he shouted.

Artoo beeped something at him, then the guns turned and blasted the fighter.

“Good shot buddy” he congratulated the droid as he returned to a level flight towards the planet.

Artoo beeped at the praise and did a little victory dance as Ahsoka returned to her seat with the Hutt.

“Strap in” he told her, wrestling with the controls to keep them on course.

“You've got that look that says we're in trouble ” she said as she tightened her harness.

“There's a look?” he asked.

“You can't miss it” she said almost apologetically.

“Very funny” he replied, bending over the console and attempting to hail Obi-wan.

After a few tries, Obi-wan's holo appeared.

“Kenobi here, have you reached Tatooine yet?” he asked.

“Almost, but we ran into-” he began but Obi-wan cut him off.

“Anakin did you get shot down again?” he asked sternly.

“Yes” Ahsoka supplied helpfully.

Obi-wan sighed.

“Just make sure you get him back in one piece” he said before ending the call.

He sighed then began making what preparations he could for the coming rough landing.

“Hang on” he said as they hit the atmosphere “this landing's going to be a little rough”

“Crashes are rough, landings are not” Ahsoka retorted over the Hutt's wailing.

“Then it's a crash landing” he said through gritted teeth as the outside of the ship began to glow with the heat of re-entry.

As they descended further, he could feel pieces of the ship falling away, then the ground came into sight and he levelled out as much as he could, scraping over the top of one dune before setting it down as gently as he could on the other side.

The ship skidded for a few hundred meters before it finally came to rest with it's nose buried in the sand.

“Well, that wasn't to bad” he said as the Hutt threw up all over Ahsoka.

  


* * *

  


“I thought we were suppose to be on leave?” Barriss complained as they walked into the Senate.

They'd returned from the front lines four days ago to take a weeks leave, but her master had been called to the senate everyday since their return and this time she'd dragged her with her.

“We are,” Luminara replied “but something's come up and they need our assistance”

“Something always comes up...” she sighed.

Luminara sighed as well but didn't say anything as they continued on their way up to the Chancellor's office.

They reached the door to his office as Senator Amidala walked out, a look of determination on her face.

“Senator Amidala” her Master said, inclining her head.

“Master Luminara” she replied with a smile “Barriss” she continued, giving her a smile as well.

She gave her a small nod in response, still not overly fond of the Senator.

“What brings you to the Senate at this hour?” the senator asked.

“Oh the usual war business,” Luminara replied “but don't let us keep you, you seem like you're on a mission”

“Yes, I do need to hurry. Anakin's in trouble and I may be the only one able to help him” Amidala replied, already starting to walk away.

Concern flooded Barriss.

“Anakin's in trouble?” she asked, giving the Senator her full attention.

“Yes, his mission went badly and now Jabba thinks he kidnapped his son”

“What?” she asked, feeling confused.

“There's no time to explain but...” the senator hesitated, with a glance at Luminara “if you could accompany me, I'm going to see Jabba's uncle to persuade him to convince Jabba that Anakin had nothing to do with the kidnapping.”

She turned her gaze hopefully to her master.

“I see no reason why not” Luminara said “Just be careful, dealing with Hutts is dangerous”

“I will Master” she replied with a slight bow before hurrying after the Senator, who was practically running towards the turbo lift.

She caught up with her as the doors opened and together they stepped inside.

On the way down the Senator quickly explained the situation and she sighed and smiled faintly, only Anakin could get himself into such a mess.

The Senator gave her a confused look.

“Anakin always excelled at getting himself into trouble” she explained fondly.

“Yes,” Amidala replied, with a smile of her own “every time I've been with him, it's always ended with chaos of some kind”

There was an awkward silence following that, with the Senator humming to herself while she tried to think of something to say.

“How is everyone?” Amidala finally asked “I haven't seen any of you since Anakin and Obi-wan left for Christophsis”

“As well as can be expected” she replied “but we haven't seen Anakin or Obi-wan since we were deployed after we got back from Geonosis” she added quietly, trying not to show how much she missed him. 

The Senator seemed to pick up on it anyway and after a moments hesitation, placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

“I know what it's like to be away from those you love for long periods” Amidala said, feelings of quiet misery rolling off her “I miss my family every day, but it makes it all the sweeter when you do see them again”

“I hope so” she replied softly.

“I know so” was the firm response “and last time I saw him, Anakin couldn't stop talking about you and how he couldn't wait to see you again”

She smiled slightly and took a breath to centre herself, feeling rather guilty about the way she'd behaved towards the Senator in the past. She'd make up for it now, she promised herself.

“So, what's the plan Senator?” she asked.

“Padmé, please” the Senator replied with a smile.

“Ok, Padmé. What's the plan?” she asked as the lift stopped and the doors opened.

“We walk in the front door and ask him to tell Jabba that Anakin wasn't involved” Padmé replied.

She snorted.

“You've spent too much time around Anakin and Obi-wan” she informed the Senator as they approached her ship.

Padmé just laughed and pressed the button to unlock her ship.

“This is going to be fun” she said, climbing aboard.

She just shook her head and followed the suddenly buoyant woman inside.

  


* * *

  


The trip to Ziro the Hutt's club was a short one and they spent the little time they had planning their approach.

It was a plan worthy of Anakin she thought with a smile, Padmé would go in as herself and attempt to persuade the Hutt to give Jabba their message while she would be her hand maiden and hope things didn't turn violent.

If it did though, she was prepared she told herself, checking the calf holster where she she was hiding her lightsaber and adjusting the blaster and holster Padmé had given her as part of her disguise one last time.

“We're here” Padmé announced a couple of minutes later.

“Stay here Threepio” she said when they left the ship “and if you don't hear from us in an hour,send help” she added.

“Yes mistress” Threepio replied.

As they approached the club entrance she couldn't help but notice the excitement coming from Padmé.

“You seem awfully excited for what we're about to do” she whispered.

“I've been stuck in the Senate for the last five months, this is the most fun I've had in ages!”

“You and I have very different ideas on what fun is” she replied, stepping back a pace as they reached the entrance.

Padmé walked up to one of the droids guarding the door.

“I am Senator Amidala, I need to speak with Ziro the Hutt at once” she said in a commanding voice.

“Please follow me” the droid replied.

The droid turned and they followed it through the club to a room at the back, ignoring all the leering looks they received from the club patrons.

A single lift was in the room and they all squeezed into it.

It descended several levels then opened out into a large corridor, the droid stepped out and turned left. At the end of the corridor was a large doorway that opened out into Ziro's throne room.

The droid entered the room and announced their arrival to the pale Hutt lying at the far end of the room, Padmé stepped past the droid and walked confidently up to Ziro.

Barriss hid her disgust, she'd inherited a healthy dislike of Hutt's from Anakin and could see why, the thing was disgusting and the smell coming of him was enough to make her stomach churn.

“Greetings Ziro, I am Senator Amidala of the galactic congress”

“A Senator” Ziro wheezed “in this neighbourhood?” he asked, letting out a breath of noxious smoke.

“I know that you are the uncle of Jabba the Hutt” Padmé continued, gasping through the fumes “I've come to ask a favour”

“A favour hmm?” Ziro said.

“There has been a grave misunderstanding between Jabba and the Jedi order”

“How may I serve you Senator?” the Hutt leered.

She couldn't believe it, their plan might actually work.

“I was hoping you and I could resolve this dispute and broker a treaty between the Republic and the great clan of the Hutt's” Padmé said, sounding relieved.

“A treaty? A treaty! A treaty is impossible. My nephew's son was kidnapped by your Jedi scum!”

Barriss found her self bristling at that accusation and insult and unconsciously reached for her lightsaber before getting her feelings under control.

“But sir,” Padmé objected “there's been a misunderstanding-”

“There is no misunderstanding” Ziro replied with finality.

They way he said it and what he was feeling caught her attention, he was lying and trying to cover something up.

“It's the Jedi who have rescued his son” Padmé argued, though she could sense it was a lost cause “If you could put me in touch with Jabba I'm confidant I can convince him of the truth”

There was a spike of fear from Ziro as he responded.

“No! No more discussions, escort them out” he ordered.

“Please Ziro, your nephew is in danger, you're being deceived” Padmé pleaded.

“I said throw them out!” Ziro yelled.

An assassin droid grabbed Padmé and began dragging her towards the exit as a second came for her.

“Urgh, don't touch me” Padmé said as she was shoved along.

Barriss meanwhile, pre-empted the droid and began walking towards the exit herself.

There was a hiss behind them as Ziro exhaled another lungful of smoke, then they were out of the room.

The droids took them back to the lift and pushed them inside.

“Something's not right here” she whispered as the droids joined them inside.

Padmé glanced at her, then gave a small nod. She returned the nod and Padmé tackled her droid from behind, knocking it over and grabbing it's blaster.

For her droid she simply reached out with the force and crushed it's processor unit, sending it sparking to the ground. She did the same to Padmé's droid and they both slipped out of the lift and snuck back to Ziro's throne room.

They reached the entrance and Padmé made to go in but she held up her hand and indicated she would check first.

Moving carefully so she didn't make a sound, she snuck a quick glance around the corner.

Ziro was making a holo call and the only two droids in the room were facing away from them.

“All clear” she whispered and they slipped into the room and hid under one of the tables.

“Your plan is coming apart” Ziro said as they hid themselves “a senator from the republic was here, what if she found out I helped you kidnap Jabba's son?”

Padmé let out a soft gasp which turned into a growl.

“That treacherous worm” she muttered.

Barriss made a noise of agreement, pulling out a holo recorder and aiming it at the pair.

 _“Don't worry”_ Dooku replied _“I have convinced Jabba that the Jedi have murdered his son and are on their way to kill him”_

“Jabba will slay the Jedi on sight” Ziro chuckled.

 _“Then the Jedi will be forced to bring Jabba to justice and you my friend will be left to take control of all the Hutt clans”_ Dooku replied.

Ziro let out a satisfied grunt.

“But what about this Senator” he asked after a moment.

 _“If she continues her investigation have her meet with an... accident”_ Dooku said.

“I think we've heard enough” Padmé whispered “Let's get out of here”

She nodded and they turned to leave, only to find themselves face to knee with one of Ziro's assassin droids.

The droid lunged at them and they leapt to their feet. Padmé drew her blaster and shot it twice in the head.

A second one ran at her and she drew the blaster Padmé had given her and blew it's head off.

It went down smoking and the pair of them turned to face Ziro and Dooku's hologram.

But before they could do anything a side door opened and six more assassin droids entered the room, blasters levelled.

Padmé sighed and dropped her blaster, she did the same and they raised their hands.

Two of the droids dragged them over to Ziro and pushed them to the ground.

“Count Dooku” Padmé said, glaring at the hologram “The poisonous traitor rears his ugly head once again”

Beside her, Barriss remained silent, assessing their situation and plotting a way to escape it.

So far it wasn't looking good, with three blasters levelled at her she'd barely have time to draw her lightsaber before being shot multiple times, they'd have to wait for just the right moment.

 _“I am equally delighted to remake your acquaintance, Senator Amidala isn't it?”_ Dooku replied with a disdainful sneer.

 _“Ziro”_ he continued _“this particular senator is extremely valuable to my separatist allies, they will pay a handsome price for her”_

“Hmm, I like the sound of that” Ziro replied, licking his lips “take them to the dungeon”

“You'll regret this Ziro” Padmé shouted as they were dragged from the room.

“No, I think I will become rich from this” Ziro laughed.

The droids took them down to a lower level and searched them, removing their comlinks and her holo recorder before throwing them into a cell.

She managed to keep her footing but Padmé sprawled on the ground. She got up muttering curses she'd never thought she'd hear from a senator.

“That went well” Padmé said, managing a smile as she dusted herself off “what do you suggest we do now?”

“Plan B” she replied, pulling her lightsaber out of her calf holster.

“I like the sound of that” Padmé said with a smirk.

  


* * *

  


The twin suns were just beginning to set as they crossed yet another sand dune.

They'd been walking for hours and were finally getting close to Jabba's palace, he just had to ignore the sand in his boots for another hour or two then their mission was complete.

Behind him Ahsoka trudged on determinedly, not having complained once the entire journey, which impressed him. Well, not since the Hutt had puked on her at least, he thought with a grin.

She'd been understandably upset with the Huttlet after that and despite their best efforts to clean her up, her skin and top still had a greenish tinge to it.

Which was why he was carrying the Hutt now, she'd said she want a break from it and he had agreed hang on to him till they reached the palace.

“We're not alone” Ahsoka said suddenly.

He stopped and reached out with his senses.

“I sense it too” he said after a moment “It's the dark side of the force”

On his back the slug let out a whimper as Ahsoka stepped up beside him.

“Whatever it is, it's coming for the Hutt.” he said “Time to split up”

“We'll face it together Master” Ahsoka argued, sounding tired but determined.

“Not this time Ahsoka,” he replied, placing a hand on her shoulder “I have a far more important mission for you”

“More important than keeping you alive?” she shot back with a hint of desperation.

A strange feeling welled up inside him, they hadn't even been together two days and already he couldn't imagine not having her around.

“Ahsoka, I need you to trust me on this one” he said looking her in the eye.

She nodded but didn't say anything and he could sense her conflicted feelings, she wanted to finish the mission and prove herself worthy but she also didn't want to lose him and be alone again.

“Don't worry” he said as reassuringly as he could around the lump in his throat “I promise I can handle whatever's coming”

She nodded jerkily again and after a steadying breath found her voice.

“So what's the plan then?” she asked.

“I'm going to act as decoy and draw whoever's after us to me while you slip around them with the Hutt and get him home” he said.

“Okay, but when they find you they'll see you don't have him with you” she pointed out.

He nodded in agreement.

“Yes, which is why I'll keep the backpack and fill it with some of those rocks over there”

Ahsoka still looked dubious, but took the Huttlet when he handed him to her and proceeded fill the pack with all the rocks it could hold, then he heaved it onto his back with a groan.

“Alright time to split” he said as the presence drew nearer “may the force be with you”

“And you Master” she replied hesitating slightly, then she lunged forward and wrapped the arm not occupied with the Hutt around him.

“Please don't die Master” she whispered.

“I promise,” he replied, patting her on the back “now come on, we've got a mission to complete”

“Right,” she said, her usual grin returning “I'll race you there”

“Loser cleans our quarters for a month” he shot back as she disappeared over a dune.

He got an impression of a laugh over their newly formed bond and rolled his eyes.

Then he pick up his pace and relaxed his mental shields so whoever was after them would be drawn straight to him.

  


* * *

  


The dark presence was close now, it would be on him in moments and he could already hear it's speeder.

He drew his lightsaber and kept walking.

Not long after a speeder bike came over the dune's and slowed to a halt in front of him. He stopped walking and moved into the standard ready stance.

Dooku slid off the bike and stepped towards him.

“Dooku” he growled, igniting his lightsaber “I thought I sensed an old fart”

The Count didn't respond but he felt his ire at the comment.

“Surrender the Huttlet or die Skywalker” Dooku demanded, sending a torrent of force lightning at him.

He blocked it easily and returned to his ready stance.

Dooku sneered at him and removed his hood before drawing and igniting his own red blade.

Then they launched themselves at each other, slashing, blocking, lunging and dodging for several seconds before locking their sabers.

“Your training has come a long way boy!” Dooku taunted.

He didn't rise to the bait and instead pushed Dooku back, breaking their saber lock and renewing the duel.

When the Count paused to taunt him again, he ignored it and sent a force blast at him, knocking him back several meters and sending waves of sand to blast him.

But the Count caught it sent it flying back at him, throwing him down the side of the dune they were on and knocking his lightsaber from his hand.

Dooku came leaping after him and he just managed his saber back in time to block the Count's attack.

Then he kicked Dooku's legs from under him and managed to turn and get to his feet when he felt a lightsaber pass through the backpack.

He twisted away and ended up on the ground again.

“You've failed Skywalker” Dooku taunted “I've just killed Jabba's son”

He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

“No, you've just killed my pet rocks” he replied, emptying the bag on the ground.

He felt the Count's surprise and anger at the deception.

“The Huttlet is with my Padawan, safely at Jabba's palace”

“I expected such treachery from a Jedi, I assure you my web is strong enough to catch your insignificant little Padawan”

“She's more skilful than you think” he shot back.

“You deceive yourself” Dooku yelled, launching at him again.

He met the Count's attack with renewed vigour, feeling lighter after losing the pack, knowing every moment he fought was another Ahsoka had to finish the mission.

Dooku then launched into a flurry of blows which he found himself hard pressed to keep up with and a particularly awkward block left him open to the Count's force push which sent him flying and he landed with a thud halfway down the dune.

“Look” Dooku sneered, holding up a holocomm “I have a message from your Padawan”

The holo sprang to life and showed Ahsoka fighting for her life against three magnaguards.

Panic and anger rose up in him and he launched himself at Dooku, battering his blade aside and elbowing him in the face.

The Count let out a cry and tumbled down the dune, dropping the holo as he went.

It came to rest a few meters from him, just as Ahsoka let out a cry and disappeared from view.

“After my droids kill the Jabba's son they will deliver your Padawan to him for punishment for the Huttlet's murder. I can't imagine he will be merciful” Dooku said smugly.

Despair almost overwhelmed him and he turned and leapt onto Dooku's speeder and raced off towards Jabba's palace where he could sense Ahsoka's presence, hoping he wouldn't be too late.

  


* * *

  


While Padmé watched the droids, Barriss quickly disabled the locking mechanism on the cell door. They sprung open and she charged out, destroying the droids with ease.

“All clear” she said after a quick glance around the room.

Padmé stepped out and took a blaster from one of the dead droids before retrieving her comlink and calling Threepio.

While she did that Barriss kept watch by the lift, after a minute Padmé joined her.

“What's next” the Senator asked her.

“Arrest Ziro” she replied as the lift began to descend from a higher floor “How long till we get reinforcements?”

“Hopefully soon, I told Threepio to alert the rapid response units” Padmé replied as the lift stopped on their floor.

She took up a position on one side of the doors and Padmé did the same on the other side and waited.

The doors opened and a squad of battle droids stepped out.

“It's a mess down here” one of them complained, seeing the destroyed droids.

“Wait, where are the prisoners?” another asked.

“Right here” she said, sweeping her blade through the two rear most droids.

Padmé shot the leader and Barriss finished off the last two.

“We need to hurry” she said, reattaching her lightsaber to her belt “when they don't report in they'll know something is up”

Padmé nodded and they both stepped into the lift and hit the button for the throne room.

“You're as bad as Anakin” she said, noticing the big grin on Padmé's face.

“What? I haven't had this much fun in months” Padmé replied, her grin widening.

Barriss just sighed and got ready to face whatever was waiting for them when they reach the throne room.

The lift stopped and the doors opened into an empty corridor so they quickly snuck out and crept back to Ziro's throne room.

Ziro was alone so they burst in weapons raised.

Ziro squealed and held up his hands in surrender, but from behind them they heard an alarm and the sound of droids running their way.

They were cut off by an explosion and a squad of clones rushed into the chamber.

“Area secure” one of them said and the leader approached Padmé.

“Should we arrest the Hutt Senator?” he asked.

“I had no choice” Ziro whined “Dooku said he'd kill me if I didn't help him kidnap Jabba's son, you have to believe me, I love that Huttlet”

“Oh I believe you” Padmé replied, making little quotation marks with her hands “that's why we're going to tell Jabba everything”

  


* * *

  


The speeder bike's engine screamed in protest and he pushed it past it's limits, racing towards where he could sense his Padawan's growing desperation.

He felt a spike of pain from her and his gut clenched, but it lasted only a moment before her signature returned to normal.

“She's still alive” he muttered to himself, pushing the bike even further as Jabba's palace came into view.

He roared up the causeway and slowed, looking for any sign of Ahsoka.

Nothing.

He kept going, getting closer to the entrance.

_Master!_

He stopped, he could sense her nearby and she could see him but where....

_Master help_

There, at the bottom of the causeway.

He leapt off the speeder and jumped down to join her as she felled one of the droids.

He landed behind another and slashed it in half before it could react.

He felt a flood of relief from Ahsoka as the last one turned to see what had ambushed them and Ahsoka used the distraction to slice it's head off and cut through it's torso eye.

He quickly scanned the area for any more threats and find none, rushed over to his Padawan who had sunk to the ground in relief.

“Thank you Master” she gasped, attempting to catch her breath.

“That's what master's are for.” he replied “Are you hurt?” he asked, checking her over.

“No I'm fine” she said as her turned her round, needing to make sure for himself.

“Good” he sighed, pulling her into a hug.

She felt conflicted for a moment, but then she relaxed into it and he felt the stress and tension of the last day fade away.

After a minute he pulled back but held onto her shoulders.

“I'm proud of you” he said “not many Padawan's would be able to do what you've accomplished today”

“Thank you Master” she said quietly, feelings of pride and joy flowing off her.

“Now lets get this Huttlet back to his father so we can get off this sand ball” he said, reaching to take the Huttlet that had been remarkably quiet for the last few minutes.

“Umm... if you don't mind, I'd kinda like to finish my mission myself” she said looking up at him, determination burning in her eyes.

“Alright” he said with a smile, his pride in her reaching new levels “let's go”

They climbed back up the causeway and approached the gate to the palace.

Guards barred the way until they saw the baby Hutt, then one rushed ahead while the rest of them escorted them to Jabba's throne room.

Ahsoka was grinning broadly as they entered the chamber and he couldn't help smile at her joy at completing their mission.

“Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Padawan Ahsoka Tano” a protocol droid announced as they approached Jabba.

Jabba was overjoyed as Ahsoka stepped up to him and handed his son back to him.

They both watch the reunion of father and son, taking satisfaction in a mission well done when the protocol droid turned to them.

“You are to be executed immediately” it said as if it was telling them the weather forecast.

“What!” they both exclaimed, drawing their lightsabers as dozens of blasters aimed at them.

“Does this always happen to you?” Ahsoka asked.

“Everywhere I go” he replied.

They waited for someone to make a move.

Then Jabba's holocomm began beeping.

“Your uncle Ziro is contacting us” the protocol droid announced, activating the projector.

However, instead of a Hutt appearing, an image of Padmé materialized.

_“Greetings honourable Jabba” she began “I am Senator Amidala of the galactic congress, I have discovered a plot against you by one of your own. Your uncle Ziro will admit he conspired with Count Dooku to kidnap your son and frame the Jedi for the crime”_

The holo switched to show a terrified looking Hutt and Barriss standing menacingly beside him with her hood drawn.

He smiled and relaxed slightly, trust Barriss to save him when he didn't even realise he needed saving.

Jabba began speaking angrily with the other Hutt and he whined back, it got more and more heated until he broke.

 _“It was Count Dooku”_ he squealed.

Jabba spat something back, then the holo switched back to Padmé and Barriss as she stepped into view.

“Ziro will be dealt with by the Hutt family most severely” the protocol droid translated.

 _“Perhaps now you will allow the republic to use your trade routes and hostilities can come to an end?”_ Padmé suggested.

Jabba laughed and said something.

“Jabba agrees” the droid translated “a treaty is in order”

He let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding and deactivated his lightsaber, Ahsoka followed suit.

 _”Thank you Jabba, you will not regret this”_ Padmé said.

“The clone armies may move through Jabba's territory” the droid said once Jabba had replied.

“Senator, Padawan Offee, you have my gratitude” he said, bowing slightly at the holo.

“No Master Skywalker, it is I and the republic that owes you thanks” Padmé replied, giving him a wink.

He nodded in reply, then switched his gaze to Barriss. He gave her a small smile which she returned then she glanced at Ahsoka and raised an eyebrow.

Later, he mouthed.

She nodded and then the holo vanished.

“Jabba would be most appreciative if you could bring Count Dooku to justice for his crimes against the Hutt's” the droid said.

“You can count on it” he replied and Ahsoka snorted, which made him realise the unintended pun.

“We will take our leave” he added, bowing to Jabba before leading Ahsoka out of the room.

Now that the adrenalin from the race to Jabba's palace and the fights along the way was wearing off he was feeling very tired and Ahsoka looked exhausted.

After she stumbled and almost tripped over for the second time he put an arm around her shoulders to steady her.

She gave him a grateful look and leaned into him a bit more as they continued to the exit.

He was honestly surprised she was still standing at this point, considering she hadn't had any sleep in almost 48 hours.

Outside, a gunship was waiting for them, with Obi-wan and Yoda onboard.

“Masters” he greeted them as they climbed aboard.

Ahsoka gave a tired nodded and closed her eyes as they lifted off.

“Well done you two” Obi-wan said, then glanced at Ahsoka, who was still nestled under his arm and raised an eyebrow.

“It's been a long day” he said with weary sigh.

“Now you know how I feel” Obi-wan replied with a smirk.

He glared at his master while Yoda chuckled.

“A taste of your own medicine hmm, Skywalker” Yoda teased.

He decided it wasn't worth responding and ignored them for the rest of the flight to the Negotiator, plotting a way to borrow a shuttle so they could take a droid back to his mother.

First though, Ahsoka needed a shower. That smell was becoming unbearable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin visits his mother and introduces his apprentice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one this time but I should have another one, possibly two this week.

“Why exactly are we doing this Master?” Ahsoka asked with a yawn.

They were sitting in the cockpit of the shuttle he'd borrowed from Obi-wan, flying towards the Lar's homestead from Mos Eisley, where they'd picked up an R4 unit that was in pretty good condition now that they'd given it a service.

The droid was now sitting behind them, beeping quietly with Artoo who, from what he could tell, was explaining the droid's mission and it's importance.

He smiled to himself, then glanced back at Ahsoka who was still looking at him expectantly.

“As I said before, last time I was here I accidentality stole their droid and I want to replace it”

“Why don't you just give the one you stole back?” she asked.

“Because that one's on Coruscant with a friend and it's not really suited for this environment anyway”

“Oh, okay” she replied.

She was quiet for a minute but he could feel a new round of questions building and sighed.

Fortunately the Nav computer chimed their arrival cutting off Ahsoka's questions.

“We can talk about this once we get back to the Negotiator” he said.

She sighed but agreed and watched the homestead as he gently set the shuttle down.

As he shut off the engines, the homesteads inhabitants cautiously emerged and stood in a group watching them.

“Now remember your manners” he teased as they prepared to disembark.

“Yes Master” she replied sarcastically.

He snorted, then lowered the ramp and stepped out into the harsh desert sun.

Ahsoka and the astromechs followed behind him as they approached the group.

His mother was at the front, watching them intently and he smiled at her.

He saw shock and recognition flash over her face and remembered how much he'd changed since he last saw her.

“Ani?” she said, coming closer.

“Hey mom” he said wrapping her in a tight hug. Behind him he felt Ahsoka freeze in surprise and chuckled to himself.

“You've changed so much” his mother whispered, pulling back and looking him over, taking in all his new scars, bionic arm and the grimmer look in his eye.

“Yeah” he replied with a sigh “The war's taking it out of everyone”

She looked sad for a moment then caught sight of Ahsoka standing awkwardly behind him.

“I'm sorry, forgive my manners” his mom said, pushing him aside, walking up to Ahsoka and wrapping her in a hug too.

“You must be Barriss, I never got to thank you for saving my life”

Over Shmi's shoulder Ahsoka gave him a look that screamed help me and he couldn't help but laugh.

“No mom, this is Ahsoka, my Padawan” he said as they pulled apart and Ahsoka quietly slipped behind him again.

“Oh, well it's nice to meet you Ahsoka” Shmi said, giving Ahsoka a smile that Ahsoka returned, albeit half heartedly, still looking nervous.

The rest of the family joined them and exchanged greetings then they moved inside to where it was cooler.

“So, what brings you back so soon?” his mother asked as they sat down in the kitchen, the rest of the family disappeared to give them some privacy.

“Well, we were wrapping up a mission and I needed to replace Threepio. Plus I just wanted to see you again since I don't know when I'll next get the chance”

“Ah, don't worry about Threepio, he's yours anyway”

“I got this R4 unit, so you'll take it” he replied with a smile.

“Fine” she conceded “It will be quite useful”

Then she changed the subject.

“So how's he treating you, is he a good teacher?” she asked Ahsoka.

Ahsoka looked startled and a little uncomfortable at being questioned.

“Um, yeah he's great” she said with a glance at him “We've only been shot down once since I've been with him”

His mother looked horrified.

“You got shot down!” she gasped.

“Yeah” he replied “But don't worry, it happens all the time”

That was the wrong thing to say, he realised as his mother paled, then abruptly changed the subject again.

“When will I get to meet this Barriss” she asked “I want to thank her properly for saving my life”

“I don't know” he replied “I'm not even sure where she is at the moment”

“Oh, well, as long as I'm invited to your wedding I'll be happy” she said, with a smile.

It took a moment for what she'd said to sink in, then his face turned bright red and he spluttered, attempting to respond.

Ahsoka was also flushing, embarrassed because he was?

“Ahh, mom. Jedi don't marry” he said when he'd recovered.

“Oh, that's a shame” she said sadly.

Then talk turned to more light hearted subjects with his mother telling him about how her life was now that she was free, while he recounted a few of his adventures from when he was a young Padawan that kept Ahsoka enthralled.

Far too soon, they had to leave.

At the ramp to the shuttle he gave his mother one last hug.

“Stay safe” she whispered as she released him.

“I will” he replied “And I'll try visit again as soon as I can”

His mother nodded and stepped back as he raised the ramp and headed for the cockpit.

As they lifted off he could see her waving at them and waved back before angling the shuttle towards space and rocketing into orbit, setting a course for the Negotiator. 

Ahsoka was unusually quiet on the trip back, though she kept looking at him as though she wanted to ask him something but thought the better of it.

He landed in the main hanger without mishap and powered down.

“You alright?” he asked as they left the cockpit.

“Hmm, yeah I'm fine. Why?” she replied, stopping near the exit.

“You seem a little off” he said, watching her closely.

“Oh it's nothing” she said, not looking at him.

“Alright” he said dubiously “Just remember, I'm here if you ever want to talk, about anything”

“Thanks” she muttered.

He pressed the door release and lowered the ramp.

“You want to get something to eat?” he asked as they stepped off the shuttle.

“Not really” she replied with a yawn “I think I'll just go to bed”

“Good idea” he said, stifling his own yawn.

They made their way to what passed as the Master/Padawan quarters they'd been assigned which was little more than two bunks, a desk and an attached refresher.

When they got inside, Ahsoka kicked off her boots and flopped down onto her bed, wrapping herself in the blankets and going straight to sleep.

He sat down on his own bed and removed his boots and as much as he wanted to follow Ahsoka's example, he had one thing to do first.

As Ahsoka's snores filled the room, he pulled out his personal holocom and turned it on, switching it to record and putting in Barriss's number.

“Hey” he began, a smile spreading across his face “You're not going to believe what Obi-wan's done to me”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading : )


	18. Chapter 18

The days after their arrest of Ziro the Hutt had flown by, with reports to write, a dozen meetings to attend and an alliance to ratify.

By the end of it Barriss was looking forward to getting redeployed, sick of having to deal with politicians. Well, most politicians she amended looking at Senator Amidala, who was walking their way, a smile on her face.

“Senator” Luminara greeted her when she reached them “What brings you down here?”

“You said you were deploying today and I wanted to see you off” Padmé replied.

“You didn't have to do that Senator, I'm sure you must be very busy” Luminara said.

Padmé waved it off.

“I am, but you're my friends and I don't know when I'll get to see you again” Padmé replied “Besides, after the last few days I really needed to get out of that office” she added with another smile.

Barriss smiled too.

“Well after what we did it's not surprising” she said.

“True” Padmé said with a laugh “I'll think twice before sabotaging a Separatist plot again, the paperwork's not worth it”

They all laughed this time.

“Yes” Luminara said ruefully “I had to help Barriss with a lot of it and some of it makes no sense at all, I mean what on earth is a Form 877634-A-1232 regarding activities carried out by a member of government in a deliberate yet unintentional manner, causing calculable, monetary and/or emotional damage to personal belongings of a citizen of the Republic who is currently unlawfully operating a Class 4 entertainment business without relevant licences”

Padmé snorted with laughter, which continued until she was bent double, gasping for breath.

“Sorry” she wheezed, straightening and wiping her eyes “I'm really tired and I got that form as well and just made up some rubbish for it” she added, dissolving into giggles again.

This time Barriss couldn't help joining in.

“That's scandalous, Senator” Luminara said, though she was smiling as well “You'll be the death of the republic”

That got another snort from Padmé and she was just about to respond when Luminara's comm chimed and Gree's voice came through, Padmé quickly quietened herself.

“Everything's loaded General, we're ready to depart” he said.

“Alright thank you Commander, we'll be onboard shortly” she replied.

“Yes General” Gree replied before disconnecting.

There was a moment of silence before Padmé hesitantly spoke.

“Next time everyone's here we should get together” she suggested, looking between Barriss and Luminara “Dinner at my place or something”

“Yes, that would be nice” Luminara said while Barriss nodded “Next time I talk to them I'll extend your invitation”

“Great” Padmé said happily “I'll start planning now”

Then her expression fell.

“Well, goodbye then” she said sadly “Stay alive, both of you” she added, giving them both hugs before quickly leaving.

“It was nice of her to come see us off” Barriss said as they watched the retreating Senator.

“Yes, it was” Luminara said, turning to head into their ship “I think it's because we're some of the few people she actually considers friends”

“But why? She must know hundreds of people” Barriss said following after her.

“Perhaps, but all those people are politicians and as you know, you can't trust politicians”

“She must be very lonely then” Barriss mused.

“Oh she is, didn't you sense it?” Luminara asked, glancing at her Padawan.

“Ahh no, I wasn't looking for it” Barriss admitted sheepishly.

“No matter, it's just interesting how one can be surrounded by people and still be lonely” Luminara said.

“Perhaps we should give her a call every so often, just to check on her?” Barriss suggested.

“An excellent idea” Luminara said as they reached the turbo lift and headed for the bridge.

  


* * *

  


“I'm glad that's over” Barriss said with a yawn as they emerged from the mission briefing room after eight hours spent planning their upcoming campaign.

“Yeah” Gree sighed, stretching as much as he could in full armour “But the more time we spend planning, the less chance there is of things going wrong”

“Hmm, yeah” she yawned again.

“You should get some sleep Commander, we'll need you in top condition if we're going to pull this one off”

“I will” she replied “I promised my boys I'd check on them first though”

“Alright, see you at the briefing tomorrow” he said, walking back into the briefing room.

“Goodnight” she said.

“Goodnight Commander”

As the doors closed behind him she turned and walked off down the corridor. While she walked she sent a message to Switcher, asking where they were and he replied with one word.

Mess.

She snorted, of all the clones she'd known, none showed anything remotely close to Switcher's disregard for the rules and regulations they'd been trained to follow and obey.

It was one of the reasons she liked him so much, off the battlefield he treated her like one of his brothers and was even beginning to attempt his pranks on her, which however annoying they were she rather enjoyed, a brief interlude from the war, though he had yet to successfully pull one off.

When she reached the mess and stepped inside she found her men occupying several tables in one corner, Born On Mandalore blaring from a speaker they had on one of the tables.

They turned it down when she approached.

“Commander” they greeted her.

“Hey boys, how're things” she asked taking a seat beside Russ.

“We're hanging in there” Nexu said with a smile “And the rations are a lot better”

Everyone shuddered at the memory of the pink mush.

“That's good to know” she said with a smile, looking around the table. “What's that?” she asked, pointing to a bottle Switcher was holding.

“A kinda juice I picked up on leave, wanna try some?” he answered.

She looked at him suspiciously as he grabbed a cup and poured her some, he saw her gaze and grinned at her before taking a careful sip from the cup then holding it out to her.

When nothing happened to him she reached over and took it, bringing it up to her nose and giving it a sniff.

Whatever it was smelled delicious, a mixture of fruitiness, spice and chocolate, so she took a small sip and almost groaned at the taste, it was even better than it smelt.

“Good right” Switcher said with a smirk.

“Yeah” she replied, gulping down the rest of the cup “Where did you get it from?”

“A little shop on one of the lower levels, one that specialises in Mirialian goods”

“Really? I've never heard of anything like it before” she said.

“Well next time we're on Coruscant I'll take you there” he replied.

“Alright” she said, glancing at her chrono and standing“Well, I need to get some sleep. I'll see you at the briefing, 0700” 

“Alright Commander” Russ said “Good night”

“Good night” the others chorused.

“Night” she said, walking out of the mess and heading for her quarters, returning salutes from the occasional trooper she passed.

Five minutes later she stumbled into her quarters and slumped onto her bed with a sigh, feeling suddenly tired. After a minute lying there she sat up with a groan and removed her boots, flexing her toes in their new freedom before pulling out her personal holocom and bringing up the old messages.

Selecting Anakin's last one, she hit play.

A holo of Anakin sitting on a bed appeared, one that she'd viewed four times already.

 _”Hey”_ he began _”You're not going to believe what Obi-wan's done to me”_

She smiled to herself as Anakin explained, over the sound of loud snores she knew were coming from his new Padawan, what Obi-wan had done to him.

_”So I need your help, I want to get back at Obi-wan but I'm not sure how best to do it”_ he finished and she paused the message there, contemplating his request. 

On the one hand this was Obi-wan, she'd known him for almost eleven years and setting up Anakin like that couldn't go unanswered. On the other, Master Kenobi was on the council now and that put him in a whole different league. But she was sure that between them, they could come up with something appropriate. 

Smiling again, she restarted the message. 

_"Anyway, that's everything, hopefully we'll see each other again soon. I love you” he finished._

“I love you too” she whispered, turning off the holo and crawling under the covers. 

__As she closed her eyes, thoughts of revenge plots filled her mind and she fell asleep with a smile on her face._ _

__

____

  


* * *

  


_A ruined landscape..._

_Explosions..._

_Screams..._

_Death..._

_Death everywhere..._

_All your fault._

“No!” Barriss screamed, shooting up right, gasping for breath and looking wildly around.

She was in her room still, in her bed. And there was no battle, no one was dying, she was safe.

With a shaky sigh, she lay back down again, taking slow breaths to calm her racing heart. The nightmares always came before a mission and nothing she'd tried stopped them. She'd even asked Anakin but he'd said he had the same problem, nothing he'd tried had stopped his nightmares either.

With another sigh she glanced at her chrono. 06:12.

“Time to get up anyway” she muttered, getting out of bed and getting dressed.

Once she was ready she left her room and headed straight to the briefing room, not feeling like breakfast just yet.

When she reached the room her Master was already there, making a few last minute preparations.

“Ahh good morning Barriss” she said as she walked in, then frowned at her.

“Barriss, why are your lips pink?”

“What!” Barriss exclaimed, pulling the small mirror she kept on her belt out and holding it up to her face.

Luminara was right, her lips were now an unusual shade of bright, florescent, pink.

She she fumed and wondered how it could possibly have happened, the door behind her opened and Switcher stepped through.

“Morning General, Commander” he said with his usual grin, which only widened when he saw her.

Things clicked into place and she glared at him.

“Switcher” she growled “What did you put in that drink?”

“I don't know what you're talking about Commander” he replied innocently, taking a seat at the front of the room.

She continued to glare at him thought it was obviously having no affect, when a small cough came from behind her.

She turned to find her Master smirking at her and groaned.

“Not you too” she said weakly.

“Hey Commander, like the pink” Nexu said as he walked in with Bev and Russ.

She groaned again, it was going to be a long briefing.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin and Barriss are reunited.

The weeks were beginning to blur together for Anakin, as they ran mission after mission without respite.

After Tatooine they'd been sent on several minor campaigns in which Ahsoka had continued to excel at whatever task he set her to, though her piloting skills left something to be desired, something he promised he would fix as soon as he had the time.

Then they'd been tasked to defend their shipping fleets which had led to the discovery and later, the destruction of Grevious's new flagship, the Malevolence, Which Padmé had somehow got caught up in.

Something he intended to investigate when he had the chance.

After that, they'd formed a task force to hunt Grevious down which had, after several fruitless weeks led to a brief confrontation over the Rishi moon. Grevious had escaped and the listening station he'd been attacking was completely destroyed, the only bright side was adding the base's survivors to the 501st who were, according to Ahsoka fitting in quite well and she seemed to be spending an increasing amount of her off duty time with them.

Now, they were sitting in deep space, two days into an eight day off-duty assignment after their latest mission, to destroy Grevious's listening station had been completed.

Two days of trying to deal with a bored Ahsoka, he thought with a sigh as he read over Rex's report of what he'd caught her, Fives and Echo doing this time.

Apparently he'd caught them trying to paint his armour bright orange, something Anakin found rather amusing, but he was the General and had to take at least some action.

Rex had already given the two troopers sanitation duty and had provided some suggestions for Ahsoka as well he saw with amusement.

He looked up from the datapad and rubbed his eyes, looking out at the stars, trying to remember the last time he'd had a good nights sleep, what with the war and the recurring nightmares, it'd been longer than he cared to admit, probably not since the aftermath of Geonosis and the all to brief hours with Barriss.

That thought made him miss her even more and with a sigh he returned his attention back to the datapad, contemplating what to do with Ahsoka.

“Sir” the communications officer called out “General Unduli is hailing us”

“Put her through” he replied, stepping over to the holotable.

“Master Luminara” He greeted her when she appeared.

“Anakin” she said with a tired smile, and she really did look tired, almost as tired as he felt “How are you?”

“Oh, as well as can be expected” he replied “Just the usual Padawan problems”

Luminara smiled again, with real amusement this time and looking just a little bit less tired.

“Now you know how Obi-wan and I felt all those years”

“And I apologise for every minute of it” he said with a grin.

Luminara laughed.

“Just wait till she's older, then you'll miss these days”

Anakin shuddered.

“Great, she causes enough trouble already”

“If what Obi-wan says is true, then I can imagine” she said, still smiling “Ahsoka's actually the reason I'm calling”

“Oh yeah? Whys that?” he asked.

“I'm currently on my way to Rodia, it seems Senator Amidala has managed to capture Viceroy Gunray so I'll be escorting him to Coruscant for trial”

Anakin snorted.

“She does get around doesn't she” he muttered.

“Yes, she does” Luminara agreed “Anyway I was going to ask, how would you feel about a Padawan swap? Barriss could use a break” she said, with a twinkle in her eye “And I'm sure Ahsoka could benefit from another Master's input”

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

“Think you're right” he replied “When do you propose we do this?”

“Whenever Ahsoka's available” she replied “Barriss is ready to go”

“Alright, I'll tell her to pack and put her on a shuttle” he said.

“Very good” Luminara said with another smile “I'll send Barriss over now”

“Alright” he replied, grin still in place.

  


* * *

  


“Tired of me already Master?” Ahsoka asked in a slightly hurt voice as they walked towards the hanger.

“What? No, of course not” Anakin replied, turning to look at her.

“Then why are you sending me away?” she asked sullenly “Is it because of what we did to Rex?”

“I'm not sending you away” he sighed “Thought your recent behaviour is part of it” he stopped and turned her to face him, which made her turn her gaze stubbornly to her feet.

“I thought you might like to get away from the ship for a bit since you don't seem to be taking our inactivity very well” he began.

“I was keeping busy” she muttered.

“Painting Rex orange is not an appropriate way of keeping busy” he told her sternly, though he was only mildly annoyed when she snorted.

“Anyway, Master Luminara has offered to take you along on her escort mission. She's an old friend of Obi-wan's and I've known her for a while as well, she's taught me a lot over the years and I thought you might benefit from her experience” he continued.

Ahsoka was quiet as she mulled that over, then a smile spread across her face.

“So she's known you since you were young?” she asked.

“Yes” he replied, not quite sure what she was getting at.

“I bet she could tell all sorts of stories then” she smirked.

He froze. He hadn't considered that when he'd accepted her offer, then he relaxed as he remembered this was Luminara and smirked at Ahsoka.

“If you can get anything out of her, be my guest” he said, before continuing on to the hanger.

  


* * *

  


“Thank you Master” Barriss whispered for at least the hundredth time.

But she didn't care, as her shuttle approached the Resolute her only thought was that after almost eight months, she was finally going to see Anakin again.

“We're cleared to dock Commander” the pilot informed her, interrupting her thoughts.

“Thank you Corve” she replied “Take us in”

“Yes Commander” 

She tried to relax back into her seat but couldn't seem to manage it, her heartbeat quickening the closer they got.

After a few more moments she couldn't take it anymore and reached out with the force, looking for him. She found him almost immediately, waiting in the hanger and her anticipation surged as she felt his own excitement.

A little hesitantly she reached out with their bond, not sure if it would work over the distance since they'd never really experimented with it and sent a tentative _Hello_ to him.

What she got back was a mental start of surprise, then an equally tentative _Barriss?_.

_”Yeah”_ she replied excitedly _”Looks like it works across distance”_

_”That's great”_ he replied, just as excited _”I wonder how far...”_

_”We'll have to find out”_ she said as the shuttle entered the hanger.

_”I can't wait”_ he said with a mental impression of a smirk.

She sent back an eye roll as Corve gently set the shuttle down in the indicated bay and lowered the ramp.

She unbuckled her harness and grabbed her bag.

“Thanks for the ride” she said.

“Anytime Commander” Corve replied, running through the post-flight checklist.

She had to pace herself as she headed for the ramp, otherwise she would have run down and out to Anakin. At the top of the ramp, she paused and took a deep breath, suddenly nervous before stepping down.

  


* * *

  


Anakin watched the shuttle land with barely contained eagerness and more than a little impatience, the only thing that stopped him rushing up the ramp as soon as it lowered was the fact that Rex was standing beside him and appearances had to be maintained.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally appeared at the top of the ramp and his heart skipped a beat when she smiled at him. He smiled back as she approached, eyes never leaving her face, only vaguely aware of Rex coming to attention beside him.

“Welcome to the Resolute, Barriss” he said, holding out his hand.

“Master Skywalker” she said with a grin, clasping his forearm with an almost imperceptible shiver.

“Captain Rex” she added, reluctantly releasing his arm “A pleasure to finally meet you”

“The pleasure is mine, Commander Offee” Rex said, as they turned and began walking out of the hanger.

“We don't have much going on at the moment” Anakin said, stepping out of the hanger “But you're probably looking forward to a bit of a break” he added with a smile.

“Yes, I am” she replied, returning his smile “It's been a hectic few months”

“That it has” he sighed, before turning to Rex “I can escort Barriss to her quarters, I'm sure there are other things you'd rather be doing”

“There are one or two things sir” Rex replied with a nod, walking off down another corridor.

They waited a moment for his footsteps to fade then turned to each other.

“Your room's just round the corner” he said.

“Very good” she said, quickening her pace.

When they reached them, they paused outside the door for a moment, allowing the anticipation to build before he opened the door and gestured for her to go in first.

“It's not much” he said as he followed her inside “But it should be fine for a week”

“As long as it's private” she said, dropping her bag as he enveloped her in a hug.

“I missed you” he whispered, holding her tight.

“Me too” she sighed, relaxing into his embrace “I don't know if I can survive another separation like that”

“We'll just have to make sure it doesn't happen” he said, pulling back and softly caressing her cheek.

“Yeah, but we can worry about that later” she said, pulling his head down “I've been waiting eight months for this” she whispered, pressing her lips firmly to his.

His arms snaked around under hers, pulling her closer and higher, leaving her feet dangling as he kissed her furiously back.

When they eventually broke, gasping, for air, they just stood there, staring into there eyes, clinging to each other like their lives depended on it.

Then Anakin moved over to the bed and sat down, Barriss repositioned herself on his lap and rested her forehead against his cheek.

“Do you have to do anything else today?” she asked.

“No” he smiled, trailing his hand up her back, making her shiver “But if we don't show up in the mess for dinner, the men might get suspicious”

“Tell me you've got something better than rations” she said.

“Nope sorry, just good old GAR rations” he grinned.

She sighed.

“When do we have to go?”

“Not for another hour” he replied and felt her smile against his cheek.

“Oh well, I'm sure we can find something to do in the meantime” she said suggestively.

“I bet we can” he said, tilting her chin up so he could kiss her again.

  


* * *

  


The mess was almost deserted when they arrived, so their trays of unappealing rations and took a table against the far wall, sitting closer to each other than was appropriate for friends.

Not long after, Fives walked in with Echo. They grabbed trays of food and came over to join them.

“General” they said, nodding to Anakin “Commander” they added with another nod to Barriss.

“Fives, Echo” Anakin greeted them “How's sanitation duty going?”

“Very well General” Fives replied with no trace of regret “It's given us a lot of time for thinking”

“Thinking about how unwise it would be to do something like that again I hope” Rex said as he took a seat at the table with Jesse, Kix and Hardcase.

Fives sat up a little straighter.

“Of course sir” 

Anakin snorted.

“That's about as believable as Ahsoka's excuse that you were training”

Beside him Barriss smiled as the others laughed, the conversation reminding her of many she'd had with Switcher.

“You look like you have experience with this sort of behaviour” Rex said, noting her expression.

“Yeah, my company's medic is... fond of pranks” she said, smiling wistfully.

“Yeah” Anakin added “From what Barriss has told me, he puts even Fives and Hardcase to shame”

“Ha” Hardcase scoffed “I doubt it”

Fives however, was looking curiously at Barriss.

“Are you the mysterious Barriss Offee?” he asked, a smile spreading across his face.

“I don't know about mysterious, but yes I'm Barriss Offee” she said, glancing at Anakin with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged back.

Fives and Echo exchanged a look but didn't press further, unusual for Fives, Anakin thought before pushing it aside and finishing his food.

Barriss finished as well and they both stood.

“We'll leave you boys to it” Anakin said as they left the table.

“Goodnight General” was the chorus of replies.

“Goodnight Commander” a couple said.

“Night” Barriss said as they headed out, noticing that as soon as they'd left a discussion began.

“What was that about?” she asked as they returned to her quarters.

“I don't know” he replied “I've mentioned you a few times to Ahsoka, perhaps she's been telling stories”

“Mentioned?”

“Well, we visited my mother last time we were on Tatooine and... you came up” he said delicately.

“Came up how?” she asked.

“Well, first she thought Ahsoka was you, then she asked when she'd be able to thank you properly for saving her life and told her I didn't know because the war was keeping you busy so she said that as long as she was invited to our wedding she'd be happy” he said quickly.

“Wedding” she said blankly.

“Yeah” he said with a nervous laugh “But I told her Jedi don't get married”

“I see, and Ahsoka heard all this”

“Yeah, but don't worry, as far as she's aware we're just friends”

“If she's as smart as you say she'll figure it out soon enough” she said as they reached her room.

“You're probably right” he sighed “Well, goodnight” he added, looking conflicted.

“You don't have to go” she said softly, stepping into her room.

When he still looked unsure she grabbed him with the force and pulled him inside, closing the door behind him.

He smiled as he stumbled into her.

“If you insist” he said.

“I do” she said, leaning up to kiss him before stepping away and taking off her cowl, outer robes and boots and climbing into bed.

Anakin followed suit and climbed in beside her.

She used the force to turn off the lights and pulled the blankets up around them before lying down, head resting on his chest.

His arms came up around her, pulling her closer and she sighed contentedly.

“I missed this” she said, absently running a hand over his chest.

“Hmm, feels nice” he whispered, already close to sleep after months of not getting enough.

She felt his breathing slow as he drifted off, the chaos of his mind fading to a calmness he couldn't find while awake.

Sleep called to her as well and she yawned against his neck, before adjusting her position slightly and drifting off as well.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Tabbywolf for all her help with this chapter.

Morning came and Anakin woke feeling better than he had for months.

For a moment he was confused as to why that was, then he felt movement on his chest and smiled as he remembered, Barriss was here.

Carefully, so he didn't disturb her, he raised his head.

She was lying, with her cheek pressed against his chest, a bunch of his robes gripped tightly in her fist.

Smiling, he gently smoothed her long, soft hair back and traced a finger over her cheek tattoos, making her scrunch up her nose and wriggle away from his touch.

“I'm sleeping” she mumbled.

“Sorry” he muttered, still smiling.

Her eyes opened and turned to focus on him, then she smiled and snuggled closer to him.

“What time is it?” she asked, closing her eyes again.

“Ah, just after oh eight hundred” he replied, cheeking his chrono.

“What!” she exclaimed, eyes snapping open.

“Oh eight hundred” he repeated.

“Wow, I haven't slept that long in... a long time” she said.

“Me neither” he said quietly “And no nightmares either”

“You're right” she said softly “I haven't felt this good since... the day after Geonosis” she admitted.

“We better make the most of our time together then” he whispered.

He felt her smile.

“What did you have in mind?” she asked.

“Well” he began. But was cut off by a knock at the door.

They both froze, Barriss gave him a look then turned to the door.

“Yes?” she said.

“Sorry to disturb you Commander” Rex's voice said “But you haven't seen the General today have you? He's not answering his comm”

“Ahh” she shot Anakin a look, who shook his head “No sorry”

“Nevermind, if you see him can you tell him he's needed on the bridge” Rex said.

“Alright” she replied.

“Thank you Commander, I'll leave you to it”

They heard him turn and walk away and when his footsteps had faded, Anakin let out the breath he'd been holding.

“That was close”

“Yes, you'd better get going before someone else comes looking for you”

“Yeah, knowing Rex he'll organise a full search of the ship if I don't show up soon” he sighed.

Barriss sighed too and reluctantly slid off him so he could sit up.

He got up and began pulling on his robes while she watched.

“Whatever it is shouldn't take long” he said putting on his boots.

“Alright, I'm sure I can find something to do in the meantime”

“I'll come find you when I'm done” he said, leaning down to give her a kiss.

She reached up and pulled him down, kissing him firmly and they were both panting when they parted.

“What do you want to do later?” he asked, standing up again and straightening his robes.

“Hmm” she said thoughtfully “Could we do some sparring, I've missed our sessions”

“Sure” he said “I have too”

She smiled back at him and made a shooing motion with her hand.

“Right” he laughed “I better be going, see ya later”

“Bye” she said as he walked out the door.

Once the door had closed behind him he pulled out his comm and called Rex.

"General?" Rex answered.

"Yeah, I heard you were looking for me, what's happening?"

"Nothing serious, we just need you on the bridge"

“Alright Rex, I'm on my way”

  


* * *

  


As the door closed behind Anakin, Barriss sighed and rolled herself in the blankets again, snuggling into the fading warmth of Anakin's presence.

After lying there for another ten minutes she finally decided to get up and after getting dressed, made her way to the mess to get some breakfast.

The hall was empty when and after grabbing a tray of still unappealing rations she took a table and ate alone.

Once she was finished she decided to just wander round for a bit and made her way towards the observation deck below the bridge, acknowledging the salutes from passing troopers and she went.

When she reached the observation deck and stepped inside she discovered it was already occupied by a trooper in casual dress, reclining across several chairs and reading a holo book.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked.

The trooper looked up and she noticed the lightning pattern shaved into his hair.

“Not at all Commander” he said.

“Thank you” she replied, taking a seat a few places down from him and looking out at the stars.

The trooper returned to his book.

After a few minutes she turned to him.

“What are you reading?” she asked.

“A medical journal” he said.

“Oh, are you a medic?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am. Chief medic of the 501st “ he replied.

“Ah, you must be Kix, Anakin's told me a lot about you. Apparently he sees you a lot” 

Kix snorted.

“I assume he complains to you when I force him to get checked over?”

“Pretty much” she laughed.

“So you've known the General for a while then?” he asked.

She nodded. 

“Longer than almost anyone else”

“So you know the kinds of stunts he likes to pull” Kix said, putting down his journal.

“Yep, I've had to fix him up on more occasions than I can remember”

“So you'll know the stories behind his more... interesting scars” he asked.

“I might” she replied.

“I was just curious about the one on his chest” he said “Because, quite frankly I'm amazed he survived it with the amount of scar tissue underneath and obvious trauma that caused it”

“Ahh” she said softly, thinking back to that night when Anakin lay dying beneath her hands “It was on a mission that went wrong, we were defending a hanger when the attackers shot a tank of liquid tibanna, the explosion threw out a lot of shrapnel and he took one through the chest”

“Ouch” Kix said quietly.

“Yeah” she said quietly. 

“How did he survive?”

“I used the force to keep him alive till help arrived” she said.

“Impressive” he said.

“Yeah” she smiled as the memory of another injury he'd received resurfaced “Another time we were outside the temple and there was this stray Tooka running around and because he likes animals he tried to pet it”

“Oh dear” Kix sighed.

“Yeah” she grinned “Anyway, the Tooka didn't like that and bit his hand hard, and wouldn't let go” she was laughing now “So he ended up running around trying to shake the thing off, which only made it bite on harder and dig in with it's claws”

Kix was smiling now too.

“We eventually managed to get it off and then if you can believe it he refused to go to the medics to get it treated, he said it was just a scratch and returned to his quarters to clean it himself, which made it scar”

Kix sighed again, rubbing a hand over his face. Then he frowned.

“Wait, you said it scarred. I can't remember ever seeing any scars like that, which hand were they on?”

“His right” she replied.

“But that's a prosthetic” he said.

“Ah, yeah. I forgot about that” she said, blushing slightly “That was before he lost his arm”

“Ahh” he said, and she could tell what he wanted to ask now.

“Were you at the battle of Geonosis?” she asked.

“No, I didn't leave Kamino until a few months later”

“Okay, Anakin and I were and we were some of the few to survive the arena”

Kix whistled.

“Yeah, and while I went up to one of the medical ships, Anakin and Obi-wan went after Count Dooku and during the confrontation Dooku cut off his arm”

Kix winced.

“Yes” she said sadly, then shook herself “Anyway, enough depressing talk. What's your journal about?”

“Oh, it's just about different techniques for treating blaster wounds” he replied.

“Oh?”

Their conversation shifted to other medical topics as they discussed the various things they did, the worst injuries they'd treated and the most annoying patients they'd had until Anakin came in and found her an hour later. 

“All sorted?” she asked, standing up and saying goodbye to Kix.

“Yep” he replied “So... sparring?”

“Yep” she smiled and together they headed down to the training salle.

  


* * *

  


"Match" Anakin said, as he tapped Barriss on the shoulder with his practice lightsaber. 

Barriss sighed and brought her lightsaber up into the guard position again.

"Four, three" she said.

"I think you'll find it's five, three" he smirked.

"No! That one before didn't count" she shot back.

He rolled his eyes, though they were great friends and got on very well with each other, sparring brought out their more... competitive sides, with neither willing to give an inch on anything.

"I seem to recall disarming you fair and square" he said, mock thoughtfully.

"Maybe I hit you too hard before because that's not what happened at all!"

He snorted.

"Well, if it means so much to you, I'll concede it" he said sarcastically "If you beat me this time" he added with a smirk.

"Challenge accepted" she said and leapt at him.

He easily parried her first few attacks and replied with several of his own, which she flipped out of the way of and counter attacked, pushing him back several steps until he found his footing again and pushed back.

She twisted and attempted a swipe at his legs which he caught and she used the rebound to make an overhead blow that he blocked and used twist their lightsabers together.

Suddenly they were both disarmed. He hesitated, she didn't.

With a yell, she launched herself at him, knocking him to the ground and attempting to pin him, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

With a grunt, he heaved her off him and tried to get on top of her, but she rolled with it and they ended up tumbling around the salle, fighting for the upper hand. Just when he though he had her she shifted beneath him and managed to get her legs around his chest, pinning his arms to his side and rolling them so that she sat on top of him again.

Sweat trickled down her face as she looked down at him and grinned.

“Yield” she panted, giving his chest a squeeze.

“Never!” he gasped, trying to buck her off. But it was no good, she had him too tightly.

“We'll call it a draw” he said after a minute of futile struggling.

“Nope” she said, running her fingers up his neck and over his chin “Admit it, I've beaten you”

He shuddered slightly as her fingers reached his hair and his hands ran up her back, sending tingles down her spine.

“Alright” he said, looking up at her, desire in his eyes.

“Good” she whispered, leaning down and softly kissing his nose before pulling back, laughing as his lips chased hers until he was stopped by her legs.

Frustration briefly flashed over his face, then it became calculating as she felt him tense under her.

Before she could react, he squirmed loose and flipped them so now he was on top, pinning her to the ground.

She drew a shaky breath, heart racing, as he leaned close and pressed a kiss to her forehead, each cheek and on her nose then pulled away.

She groaned in annoyance and pulled him back, kissing him furiously as he ran his hands up her sides.

They broke, gasping after a minute, staring into each others eyes.

“We should probably go back to my room before someone finds us like this” she said eventually.

“Good idea” he smiled, getting up and helping her to her feet.

They retrieved their lightsabers and quickly returned to her room, picking up where they left off.

  


* * *

  


Their time together passed far too quickly and before they knew it, it was time for her to leave.

And their already dampened mood wasn't helped when Ahsoka and Luminara commed them late last night to inform them that their mission had failed and the Viceroy had escaped with the help of Asajj Ventress and Ahsoka had been so upset with her perceived failure that he'd been hard pressed to cheer her up again, even with Luminara saying she'd fought valiantly and even saved her life. 

He'd have to sit down and talk to her about it when she got back, but for now his mind was focus on his last few minutes with Barriss.

“I'm sure it won't be so long this time” Anakin said, watching her pack her few belongings.

“I hope not” she whispered, feeling tears well in her eyes.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as his own eyes teared up.

“It won't be” he said firmly “I'll see if I can get us a campaign together or something”

“That would be nice” she said, wiping her eyes.

“Yeah” he replied, wiping his own as well “And that'll give you a chance to meet Ahsoka too”

“Yes, I'd like that” she said softly, before pulling away from him and picking up her bag.

“Well, I'd better get going, don't want to keep my master waiting”

He sighed and led the way out the door and down to the hanger.

When they were almost there he stopped and pulled her into an empty briefing room, lifting her up and kissing her deeply. She dropped her bag and kissed him back. He carried her to the holotable mid kiss and put her down on it.

Neither knew how long they stayed like that but they were interrupted by the door opening. 

“Sir the Commander's shuttle is ready to-” Rex began but stopped when he caught sight of them as they turned to him, looking like Bantha's in the spotlight.

“I'll... come back later” he said, turning round and marching straight back out.

After a moment Barriss found her voice.

“What are we going to do?” she asked, looking at him with concern.

“I'll talk to him” he reassured her “And Rex is a good man, he won't say anything anyway”

“Okay” she said, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart and got off the table.

She grabbed her bag and they stepped out of the room and walked into the hanger, trying to look like nothing had happened as they walked over to where Rex was waiting beside the shuttle.

“It's been good having you with us commander” he said with a small smile, looking slightly uncomfortable “ I hope we can serve with you again”

“Me too Captain” she said, flushing slightly and shaking his hand.

“Master Skywalker” She said with a nod to Anakin.

“Barriss” he said with a nod and a smile.

Then she turned and walked up the ramp, at the top she turned back for one last glance.

_”I love you”_ he sent over their bond.

She smiled a little sadly and sent _”I love you too”_ back.

Then the ramp closed and the shuttle lifted off and flew out of the hanger.

_”Stay safe”_ he sent softly.

_”You too”_ she sent back before the shuttle leapt into hyperspace.

“Can I have a word with you Rex?” he asked as the Captain turned to leave.

“Of course sir” Rex said and Anakin turned and lead the way back to the briefing room.

When they were inside he turned to his Captain with an embarrassed look on his face.

“About what you saw before, we'd appreciate it if you kept it to yourself” he said.

Rex gave him a confused look.

“Sir, I uhm... didn't see anything”

“Rex” he said “I know you did, I'm just saying we would prefer this didn't become common knowledge”

“You must be mistaken sir” Rex said, avoiding eye contact. “I haven't been anywhere near this room before now today” 

“Rex” he sighed “We both know what you-” oh, now he understood what Rex was saying.

“Ah, right. My mistake” he said “ Thank you Rex, I'll leave you to it”

“Anytime sir” Rex said, and he could have sworn he saw him smirk as he walked out the door, then realised his last words were exactly what Rex had said to Barriss a few days before and sunk into a chair with a groan.

"Why is life so complicated?" he asked the empty room.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jedi crash arc.

Anakin opened his eyes with a groan and looked up at his unfamiliar surroundings.

It wasn't the first time he'd awakened, in pain, with no idea of where he was or how he'd got there. The last thing he remembered was being aboard Aayla's ship, now he was lying in some kind of makeshift shelter, in the dark, with a feeling of eminent danger building inside him.

He struggled to sit up and managed to get to his feet despite the pain stabbing through his body, staggering a couple of steps before collapsing outside the shelter.

“General!” a voice shouted, followed by the sound of booted feet running to his side “Sir, you need to rest”

He gasped as Rex carefully tried to help him up, the feeling of danger growing stronger, coming from behind Rex.

“No, Rex behind you” he managed to get out as something leapt out of the darkness towards them.

Rex dropped him and turned blasters already raised to fire at whatever was attacking them, but he wasn't quick enough.

Whatever it was grabbed Rex by the arm dragged him back, before tossing him away and leaping on top of him.

He tried to get up to help but the pain was too much and he collapsed to the ground again.

Then Rex managed to get a shot off and the creature howled and disappeared back into the night and Rex sent a volley of blaster bolts after it, encouraging it to keep going. 

Once he was sure it was gone, Rex knelt down beside him.

“Sir, are you alright?”

“Never better” he gasped, pain lacing his words.

Gently, Rex moved him back inside the shelter and forced him to lie down.

Anakin struggled against him, trying to get back up again.

“They're gonna come back” he said.

“If they do, I'll be ready” Rex replied “For now you need to rest, Commander Offee won't be very happy with me if I let you hurt yourself further”

He stopped moving, rather surprised by Rex's subtle threat.

“That's low” he muttered, closing his eyes.

“A good soldier takes any advantage he can” Rex said unapologetically.

Anakin sighed.

“Fine, I'll stay here. But if anything comes...”

“I'll warn you sir, don't worry”

He sighed again, then a thought occurred to him.

“Rex, where are we?”

“No idea sir”

“How did we get here?”

“The hyperdrive malfunctioned on the frigate we used to rescue General Secura”

“I see” he said thoughtfully “And where is that frigate now?”

“Commander Tano crashed it”

“Ahh” he smiled tiredly “Tell her I'm proud of her” he muttered drifting off.

“Of course General”

  


* * *

  


The next time he woke, it was light again and the sense of danger was back.

He sat up with a groan and Rex turned and put a hand on his shoulder.

“General, you need to rest” he said, pushing him back down again.

“I can't rest” he replied, knocking Rex's hand aside and getting up “They're coming, I can hear them. We need to fight” he finished with a pained gasp.

Suddenly, two of the creatures leapt out of the long grass that surrounded their camp. Rex drew his blasters while he raised his lightsaber.

With a howl, the creatures charged, Rex's first shot brought down one then the other one reached them, knocking them both aside.

He landed painfully on his side before rolling onto his front, agony radiating from his injuries

Then there were more running feet and he heard Ahsoka's voice and more howls from the creature, then silence.

He struggled to pick himself up, then strong hands lifted him and rolled him onto his back, drawing a pained gasp from him.

“Master!” Ahsoka shouted, rushing to his side “Are you okay?” she asked, her hands gently pressing against his forehead, worry evident in her expression.

“I'm fine Ahsoka” he muttered, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.

She gave a sniffle, then his vision was filled by someone he'd never seen before, a small, furry face with large eyes and a friendly smile.

“This is Wag-too” she said “He's going to make you better”

He tried to smile at him but it came out as more of a pained grimace.

“Yeah, I'll fix you up” Wag-too said “But we need to get him back to my village”

“I'll rig a stretcher” Bly said, moving over to the wreckage of the frigate.

While Bly did that, Anakin glanced around the camp.

"Where's Aayla?" he asked, not seeing her anywhere.

"She's back at the village, their elder wanted someone to stay to make sure we come back with Wag-too" Ahsoka said with a smirk.

"Ahh" 

Soon after, Anakin found himself being carried on a piece of wreckage between Rex and Bly while Ahsoka walked beside him, a hand resting on his arm while Wag-too led the way. 

It wasn't the smoothest ride and every little bump sent pain racing through him and he struggled to keep his frequent gasps to himself.

Ahsoka picked up on it anyway though, if her frequent concerned looks, hand squeezes and soothing force touches were any indication.

Finally, as the sun was beginning to set, they reached the village and he was set down near one of the huts.

Almost immediately he was surrounded by a crowd of curious locals, their faces staring down at him.

“Uh, snips?” he called out.

She came over with Wag-too, who gently ushered the others away. Then he was carried into the hut and Wag-too came over to him with a pot of green liquid and several pieces of cloth.

When he looked questioningly at him, Wag-too smiled.

“The oil from the pods has healing properties, it will soon make you well again”

“Alright” he sighed, letting him get on with it.

He must have fallen asleep because the sun was rising again and Rex and Bly were standing over him, feeling concerned.

“General, we need to go” Rex said, helping Bly haul him to his feet “Separatists”

“Great” he sighed as they walked him out to where Ahsoka was arguing with the village elder, something about how they should fight the Separatists.

“Ahsoka, if the they want to remain neutral, that's their choice” he said as they approached.

When it looked like she was going to argue, he gave her a stern look and she remained quiet.

“Now, if you'll excuse me I must see what our new visitors want” the elder said, limping away from them.

“Go quickly” Wag-too said, ushering them towards the long grass.

They moved fast, and hid themselves in the long grass some distance from the village, but where they could still keep an eye on what was going on.

They watched as a droid company marched into the village and proceeded to ransack the place and Anakin felt Ahsoka's growing anger and desire to do something to stop it.

Carefully, she put a hand on her shoulder, sending reassurance and patience over their bond.

She nodded stiffly and returned her attention to the village, where the droids were now leaving.

“Come on” he said, once he was sure they were gone “If they come back and find us here it won't end well for the Lurmen”

Reluctantly the others agreed and they set off away from the village.

“I can't figure those villagers not wanting to fight” Rex said as they walked “No pride I guess”

“I call it no courage” Ahsoka replied.

“Sometimes it takes courage to stick to ones beliefs young Padawan, as any Jedi knows” Aayla reprimanded lightly.

Anakin felt a burst of irritation from Ahsoka and decided to change the subject before things got heated.

“We need to find a ship” he stated “And I think the only one around here belongs to the Separatists”

“We know they have a landing ship” he continued “They might have a shuttle as well”

“I do like stealing from the clankers” Bly said, getting a chuckle from Rex.

“We need to find them first” Aayla said.

“I think we just did!” Ahsoka said, pointing to where a probe droid was hiding in the grass.

The probe let out a startled beep and rose into the air before racing away from them.

“Blast it!” Anakin yelled.

The two clones raised their blasters and began firing at it, but it managed to dodge all their shots.

“Jam it's signal” Aayla ordered.

“After it!” Ahsoka shouted, chasing after it and followed closely by the clones.

Anakin and Aayla followed after them, until his injuries screamed in protest, bending him double with a gasp of pain.

Aayla stopped and turned back to him.

“I'm fine just go” he said through gritted teeth.

She nodded and took off after the others.

After a few minutes the pain subsided and he began heading in the direction they'd gone at a more restrained pace.

After a bit he found the pieces of destroyed probe near the base of one of the giant trees this world had, so, sensing that the others had climbed it and, with quite a bit of difficulty, he followed them up. 

“I hope your feeling better master” Ahsoka said when he reach them “Cause look what we found”

“Ha” he said as she handed him a pair of macrobinoculars “I'm getting stronger all the time snips”

Then he took a look through them and mentally gulped. The Separatists had surrounded their landing craft with high durrasteel walls, manned by battle droids and dwarf spider droids. On top the tanks and numerous droid platoons he could see marching around.

“But I'm not sure I'm ready for that”

He scanned over the base again and spotted a shuttle sitting at the back.

“That shuttle’s our ticket out of here” he said.

“Security's going to be tough” Bly commented “I can't see any weaknesses”

“Then we'll just have to make some” Rex said, checking the charge on his blaster.

Anakin smirked, then focused the binoculars on the entrance, where a new kind of tank was emerging.

“Looks like the Separatists have a new toy” he muttered “See if you can get a closer look” he said to Bly.

“Yes sir” Bly replied, climbing down the tree.

“I'll go with you Commander” Rex said, following after him.

They watched them sneak closer as what was obviously the leader of the base gave a speech to his droids, then two of the battle droids began walking towards Rex and Bly.

“Uh oh, stay down boys” Anakin said as they got closer to where they were hiding.

Suddenly there was an echoing boom from the base as something was fired into the air and began arcing down towards the clones position.

Both men started running as the projectile slammed into the ground and unleashed a massive waved of fire and Anakin felt worry build in Aayla.

The fire gained on them as the ran for their lives until they were finally close enough to launch ascension cables. 

Rex's cable hit the tree and dug in but Bly tripped and his missed.

A surge of panic came from Aayla as she watched Bly fall, before she cut through a vine and swung down, grabbing him bridal style and swinging back to safety.

They landed back on the branch and Bly gave her a nod of thanks that was just a little bit too casual for Anakin and suspicion began building in his mind as they watched the flames dissipate.

When it was safe they climbed down from the tree to find somewhere safe to discuss their next move. Anakin hung back and Aayla, sensing he wanted to talk allowed the others to put some distance between them. When they were out of earshot she turned to him with a questioning look and he put on his best innocent expression.

“So... you and Bly huh?”

The glare she turned on him made him very glad looks couldn't kill.

  


* * *

  


Later, after the Separatists had been defeated and the Resolute had come to pick them up, after Kix had finished berating him for getting injured yet again, after he'd convinced Ahsoka he was fine and that she should go get some much needed rest Anakin found himself sitting alone in the medbay.

The pain was long since gone and now all that remain was the usual stiffness he associated with mostly healed injuries.

He glanced over at the desk that held his lightsaber and other equipment and used the force to pick up his personal holocomm, considering calling Barriss or maybe just listening to one of her messages when the medbay door hissed open and Aayla stepped inside.

She walked over to him and took the chair Ahsoka had vacated and sat down beside him.

“How're you feeling?” she asked with a smile.

“Not bad all things considered” he replied.

“Good” she said, looking vaguely nervous, like she wanted to ask something but wasn't sure how to phrase it.

“How's Bly?” he asked, guessing at what it was.

She stiffened.

“Relax” he said “You know I won't tell anyone”

She did and smiled.

“He's fine, but it's not what you think” she said.

“Oh?”

“We are very close, but not like that”

“Yet” he said with a smirk, making her blush.

“Watch it Skywalker, I can still kick your butt” she said, but she was smirking too now.

“Debatable” he grinned.

She shook her head, then stood.

“Challenge accepted” she said as she headed for the door.

“Oh” she added, pausing halfway through the door “Say hello to Barriss for me” she said with a wink.

The door closed behind her before he could form a response.

“How the kriff does she know that?” he said to no one in particular. 

Maybe Barriss knew, he'd have to ask her next time they spoke.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Interlude with Barriss leading an attack on a Separatist Blockade, while Anakin checks in on his Padawan in the aftermath of the blue shadow virus.

Barriss walked into the hanger and all the assembled pilots stood to attention.

"At ease gentlemen" she said, taking up a position in front of them, beside a holo projector.

As they returned to their seats she took a breath to quell her remaining nerves at being in total command of the fighter portion of this mission and activated the holo projector.

An image of a world appeared and she magnified it so that the Separatist blockade around it was the focus.

“This is our target” she began “The separatist blockade over Ithor”

“Our primary target is the command ship here” she continued, highlighting the Trade Federation ship at the centre of the blockade “But first we need to destroy it's defences” she added highlighting the six frigates guarding it.

“With that in mind, our attack will consist of four parts, each centred around one Y-wing squadron with two V-19 squadrons each as escorts”

She pressed another button and a simulation began to play of her proposed tactics as she spoke.

“While our cruisers draw the bulk of enemy fire with a direct attack, we'll take a position high above the enemy and dive down on the leading edges of their formation before breaking into groups to finish off the rest of the escorts, we'll then regroup here to begin our attack on the battleship” she turned to her pilots “Any questions?”

Hicks, leader of her own Green squadron,(a great source of amusement in company because it made her Green Leader whenever she flew and something she was sure Switcher was responsible for somehow), raised his hand.

“Yes Hicks?”

“You'll be flying with us Commander?” he asked.

“I will be” she nodded.

There was a growl of approval from the pilots and she smiled.

“We launch in three hours, get to your fighters and may the force be with us” she finished.

  


* * *

  


_”Launch in T-minus five minutes”_ the bridge fighter coordinator's voice announced.

“Thank you” Barriss replied, doing one last check of her systems as the time to launch ticked down, silently thanking Anakin again for all the time they'd spent in the temple simulators.

She wasn't any match for him, but he'd still been a good teacher and she'd picked up quite a few tricks that had saved her life on more than one occasion.

“How we looking Arnine?” she asked her astromech.

Arnine beeped a response and the translation appeared on her console. _Everything running at optimum levels._

“Good” she replied.

_”T-minus one minute to launch”_

“Alright boy, light em up” she ordered.

She waited as all around the hanger, the starfighters under her command roared from idle to life.

_”Green squadron ready to launch”_

_”Raider squadron ready to get dirty”_

_Alpha squadron, all present and accounted for”_

_”Tango squadron ready”_

The checks continued until all her squadrons reported ready and she nosed her fighter out of it's bay into the launch bay as the controller ordered all fighters to launch.

She eased out of the hanger and once she was clear went to full throttle to get clear and waited for her command to form up around her.

“All starfighters ready” she reported.

_”Very well, you're cleared to engage, may the force be with you”_ Luminara said.

“And you” she replied, before switching back to her squadrons frequency.

“All wings, we're cleared to engage, follow me up then break by wings and head to your targets”

_”Copy that Commander”_ came the the chorus of replies.

She pointed the nose of her fighter up and pushed the throttles all the way forward, racing up to the altitude required for their diving attack, her twelve squadrons trailing along behind her.

_”Vultures!”_ Hicks called out as they grew closer to the enemy fleet.

“Take targets of opportunity and protect the Y-wings” she ordered and felt the V-19's spread out behind her, giving themselves more room to manoeuvrer.

Then she switched her focus to the droids in front of her, almost in range of her cannons. They closed the gap in a few seconds and she opened fire, watching in satisfaction as her target exploded.

All around her the V-19's opened up as well, destroying dozens of droid fighters and she felt several of her pilots wink out as the droids returned fire.

She managed to destroy two more before they shot through their formation and continued on to their target.

Comm chatter lit up with reports of collisions and deaths or damage reports which she tuned out as they approached the the first frigate.

The frigate opened up with it's turbo lasers, but their angle of attack, the main reason she'd chosen this attack plan, meant that it could only bring a couple to bear so it was more an annoyance than anything else.

_”Green leader, this is Nova leader, we're starting our run”_

“Copy Nova leader” she replied, watching as her Y-wings dove on the frigate and unleashed a barrage of proton torpedoes into it.

They hit the shields and punched through, slamming into the ship's bridge, totally destroying it.

A second volley hit it's midsection, breaking it's back and causing numerous secondary explosions.

“Good kill Nova's” she congratulated “Come around and we'll move to the second target”

_”Copy green leader”_

They had similar success with their next target and the other wings reported their targets destroyed and were moving to engage the battleship.

The battleships commander had obviously realised he was the next target because he'd withdrawn all his remaining Vulture droids to protect himself.

Barriss smiled, it wouldn't be enough.

“Bombers hang back and let us occupy the fighters, then start your runs” she ordered.

_”Copy that Green Leader”_

_”Yes Commander”_

The bombers slowed slightly, letting her and the fighters develop a lead as they closed with the droids.

At maximum range she ordered.

“Concussion missiles!”

Sixty pairs of missiles raced away from them into the droid squadrons, destroying scores of them.

Then they were in cannon range and the space between them lit up with deadly beams of red and blue.

She winced as she felt several more of her pilots die.

Then their formations met.

“Break by wing pair and engage at will” she shouted, pulling up into a steep climb, Hicks tight on her tail.

Together they made several runs through the battling squadrons, destroying almost a dozen fighters between them.

_”Commander, I've got one on my tail”_ Hick shouted suddenly.

“Hold tight” she said, throwing her fighter into a tight 180 degree flip so that she was pointing the opposite direction from her previous direction of travel and getting a squeal of protest from Arnine, something that Anakin had taught her and blasted the fighter on Hicks's tail.

Hicks whistled.

_”How'd you do that?”_ he asked, impressed.

“A friend taught me” she replied, returning to her previous position beside Hicks.

_”I'll buy him a drink next time we see him”_

She smiled.

_”Green Leader, Nova two. Target destroyed, repeat target destroyed”_

“Good work boys” she said, then switched to the command frequency.

“Master, you're cleared to begin your attack”

_”Thank you Barriss, once you've finished those fighters off, return to the ship”_

“Copy that Master”

_”And Barriss_

“Yes?”

_”Good Work”_

The call cut out before she could respond, but she felt a small glow of happiness inside her at the praise.

Then she flicked back to the squadron frequency.

“Alright boys, let's finish these clankers off, least kills buys the drinks”

There was a collective growl over the comm as her challenge was accepted and she smiled.

  


* * *

  


Anakin stepped into the doctor's office, a question on his lips. He'd only just returned from securing the lab the blue shadow virus had been made in for the second time and had only briefly looked in on Ahsoka, Rex and Padmé before coming to see the doctor, who he'd had many holo calls with, wanting constant updates on their condition.

"General, if you ask me how they're doing one more time I'm going to ban you from this ward" the doctor said without looking up.

"I wasn't" he lied "I was just going to thank you for all your hard work"

The doctor gave him a disbelieving look, then sighed.

"Your friends are going to be fine, you got the antidote to them before any serious damage was done"

Anakin felt the tightness in his chest fade.

"Thank you doctor" he said quietly, and he meant it. Ahsoka, Rex and Padmé had come a long way since they'd pulled them out of the lab pale, sickly and close to death. Now, though they were still pale, they weren’t blue anymore and their organs were no longer shutting down, according to the doctor.

"You're welcome" the doctor smiled "Now if there was nothing else I need to do my rounds"

"No, thank you that was all" he said with a grin.

The doctor heaved a long suffering sigh and followed Anakin out of his office and disappeared down the hall.

Anakin smirked to himself made his way back to the room that had been assigned to those suffering from Blue shadow virus.

He stepped inside, glanced at the two surviving troopers who were asleep and smiled at Rex and Padmé, who were in the beds nearest the door and talking quietly with each other, an unsual feeling of content and happiness coming from both of them, making him snort quietly. Ahsoka was in the next bed over, very obviously ignoring the two next to he, mild annoyance coming off her force signature.

She looked relieved when he sat down beside her.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"A lot better now" she said, managing a small smile, then her eyes flicked over to Rex and Padmé and back to him, eyes narrowing a little.

"They fell out of a gunship together on Geonosis" he said quietly "And I think they've been keeping in contact since we destroyed the Malevolence, so they're friends"

"Doesn't feel like that" she muttered.

He glanced over at them and reached out with the force, gently probing at their feelings and was surprised to find vaguely flirtatious feelings coming from them.

“Huh” he muttered, then turned to Ahsoka.

“Jealous?” he smirked.

“No!” she retorted, her darkening lekku telling a different story “How'd they fall out of a gunship?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

"I'll tell you later" he promised, patting her on the shoulder.

She looked disappointed and he felt a vague sadness from her.

“So what do want to do when you get out of here?” her asked trying to cheer her up a bit.

“Anything?” she asked, perking up.

“Yep”

“Could we do a bit of sight seeing before we have to deploy again?” she asked tentatively. 

“Of course” he smiled “I think we could all use a bit of a break”

“Great” she said excitedly “I've heard that Theed has some of the greatest gardens in the galaxy”

“Yes it does” Padmé said, leaning past Rex to see them “If you like I could give you a tour once we're out of here?”

“Umm... alright” Ahsoka said “If it's not too much trouble”

“It's not” Padmé smiled “And afterwards I'll take you to this great restaurant I know, best all you can eat Nerf buffet in the sector”

Ahsoka's eye's went huge and Rex and Anakin laughed, then the conversation shifted with the four of them just idly talked for a while discussing anything but the war and what had happened, and it kept occurring to him just how lucky they'd been, how close he'd come to losing his Padawan and two friends.

When it was time for him to leave he leaned forward and pulled Ahsoka into a tight hug, she returned it just as tight.

"Get some rest Snips" he said as he stood again.

"Alright" she yawned.

“You too, Rex” he said as he casually saluted the trooper “And Padmé-”

“I know, Ani. I should get some rest too”

He nodded and smiled, before slipping out of the ward and returning to his temporary quarters at the palace, knowing he could sleep easy with the knowledge that his friends were safe now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.
> 
> Tune in next time for the Second battle of Geonosis and Ahsoka meeting Barriss for the first time.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Second Battle for Geonosis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay with this one. It turned out longer than I expected.

“Had to be Geonosis,” Anakin muttered as the Resolute left hyperspace and Geonosis appeared before them.

“And here I was hoping I'd never go back,” Rex said, as they moved to join the rest of the task force.

“Why? It doesn't look so bad,” Ahsoka said.

They both turned to look at her and he realised he'd never gotten round to telling her about the first battle of Geonosis.

“You weren't there the first time,” he said quietly “We lost a lot of people and...” he trailed off, looking at his right hand.

“Oh,” she said softly “Sorry, I forgot.”

“That's alright snips,” he said, patting her on the shoulder “It wasn't all bad,” he added, thinking of the aftermath

“Cute medic?” Rex asked, deadpan. 

He shot him a look, then smirked.

“Yeah, something like that.” 

“Anyway,” he continued “We should be going, we don't want to keep the Master's waiting.”

They left the bridge and headed for the hanger, with Ahsoka looking between them curiously and he could feel the questions burning inside her.

“Later,” he said quietly as they entered the hanger.

“That's what you always say,” she muttered.

“I promise I will this time,” he replied.

“You always say that too,” she retorted with a smirk.

He sighed.

“You'll just have to keep reminding me till I do then,” he said as they boarded their shuttle.

“Don't worry, I will,” she smiled as the shuttle lifted off.

The trip to the Negotiator was short and soon after they were walking up the corridor leading to the bridge. Rex spotted Cody talking with several other clones and left them to join him, leaving the pair of them to continue on to the bridge.

“You're late,” Obi-wan greeted them as they approached the holotable the briefing was being held on.

“Sorry Master, we were busy routing seppies near Dorin,” he said.

“My squadron alone got fifty-five kills,” Ahsoka added proudly.

“Yeah, but mine had seventy-six,” he replied with a smirk.

“Show off,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Well I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves,” Obi-wan said drily.

“Hey it's just a little friendly competition, Master,” he said.

“Right, well now that you're here we can start the briefing,” Ki-Adi said, activating the holotable.

The holo's of Master Windu, Master Yoda and the Chancellor appeared, along with Luminara.

“We are ready to begin our campaign,” Obi-wan announced when he had their attention.

“Very good,” Mace said “Do you have a location on Poggle?”

“Yes, it seems he's holed up in this factory here,” Obi-wan said, bringing up a holo of their target “The factory is protected by a shield generator so Anakin, Ki-Adi and I will be launching a three pronged attack to destroy it and then we'll move on to the factory from there.”

 _”Isn't it risky committing three Generals to one area of the attack? If something went wrong we could be dealt a serious blow,”_ the Chancellor said.

 _”To ensure Geonosis does not rise again, necessary it is,”_ Yoda said.

_”Of course, as always I will leave the strategy to you Master Jedi.”_

“Our thanks Chancellor,” Obi-wan said drily, with just a hint of sarcasm and Anakin had to hold in a snort.

 _”May the force be with you,”_ Mace finished and their holo's faded, leaving just Luminara's as their Commanders and Captain walked in and they went through a more detailed version of their plan of attack.

“If we meet with strong resistance and are forced down away from the landing zone, hold out so we can regroup before attacking the shield generator,” Ki-Adi said.

“Their front lines are heavily fortified,” Ahsoka noted “Look at that wall with all the gun emplacements, that won't be easy to get past.”

“Don't worry,” he said “We won't be going anywhere near it.”

“Come now, what happened to all the enthusiasm I heard earlier,” Obi-wan teased.

“Don't worry about us,” he said, clapping Obi-wan on the shoulder “You just make sure you get to that landing zone in one piece.”

“Yes, I shall be waiting for you when you finally arrive,” Obi-wan replied.

 _“Gentlemen,”_ Luminara interrupted with a tone of fond exasperation _“If you are quite finished, we have a battle to begin.”_

“Quite right,” Obi-wan said with a small smile at her “Cody, prep the gunships, I'll meet you in the hanger.”

“Yes sir,” Cody replied.

“We'll head back to our ship,” Anakin said as they left the bridge.

“Alright, may the force be with you,” Obi-wan nodded as they left.

“And you,” he replied.

  


* * *

  


Barriss stood in the Combat Information Centre or CIC room of her Master's flagship, ignoring the frenzied activity around her as she watched their ships descended into the Geonosian atmosphere on the dozens of tactical displays in front of her. 

The 41st wasn't part of the first wave of the campaign, instead they was being held in reserve, on standby and ready to be committed to whichever battle zone needed them at a moments notice.

She didn't mind not being part of the first stage, she still had nightmares about being in the arena and really wasn't looking forward to being back here, so anything that delayed the inevitable was a positive thing.

Besides it wasn't like they weren't contributing to the campaign, her and her master were providing Command and Control support for the first stage of the assault. They, along with Admiral Yularen, would be coordinating the many battle sites and making sure everyone had the support they needed. 

Her area of responsibility was fighter coordination and managing air support for all the different battle zones in their sector, and glancing at one of the screens, she saw with satisfaction that all her squadrons were ready.

“All fighters ready to launch,” She announced to her Master, who was standing at a similar display in the centre of the room.

“Very good, you may launch at your discretion,” Luminara told her.

She nodded and flicked on her command link which connected with everyone under her command.

“All squadron's launch, standard escort formations then engage at will,” she ordered and watched the various confirmations come back as squadron after squadron poured out of their cruisers, lighting up the tactical displays with scores of blue points of light. 

_”General Kenobi has launched,”_ Admiral Yularen announced a moment later, as dozens of gunships joined her fighters and raced towards their objective.

She listened to the chatter as she watched, silently wishing them luck as Anakin's gunships joined the traffic heading for Point Rain.

Almost immediately, the threat boards lit up as the enemy responded to their intrusion, launching hundreds of fighters and opening up with defensive batteries.

The chatter became more urgent as the pilots responded, fighting back.

Casualty reports began pouring in from across the battle zone as gunships and fighters began going down in alarming numbers. She provided as much support and direction as she could while keeping a close eye on reports from those heading for Point Rain, hoping they made it through.

Barely a minute later, just as she was directing a squadron of V-19's to assist a company getting hammered by enemy fighters she heard what she'd been dreading.

_”General Skywalker's gunship just went down!”_

She held her breath and tried to continue with her job, until her Master glanced at her and nodded slightly and she heaved a sigh of relief. 

They'd barely got that news when General Mundi's gunship went down, and though they got confirmation he was still alive a minute later, it wasn't looking good for the mission.

She frowned thoughtfully as she directed several squadrons to assist a unit that that was going to be overwhelmed without immediate support, two thirds of the forces heading to that target had been shot or forced down away from the staging area and though it wasn't her responsibility she started considering whether or not to deploy a company or two of 41st troopers to assist them.

Then her head snapped around at a spike of concern from her Master, and focused back on the chatter, hearing Commander Cody warning Obi-wan's gunship not to land as the zone was hot, then they lost communication with it and Cody reported it had gone down beyond the landing zone.

Though it wouldn't be obvious to anyone else she noticed her Master growing increasingly concerned as she was unable to find out whether he'd made it or not, until she had to return her attention to her fighters, which were down to half her starting numbers due to losses and damage, to direct support to another cruiser that had swarms of enemy fighters around it.

The fighting continued, but they were making headway as six of their thirteen objectives were listed as secured or destroyed and most of the rest were close to it. 

One of squadrons reported that they'd found one of the enemies hangers, so she tasked a wing of bombers to ensure it's destruction. 

Then the news they'd been waiting for came through as Cody reported they'd recovered Obi-wan alive and mostly unharmed and her master closed her eyes for a moment in relief.

But the battle wasn't over yet as the remaining enemy positions redoubled their efforts to repel their forces and shortly after Cody requested air support, saying the enemy was almost over running them, but Admiral Yularen told him they had none to give.

Luminara glanced at her and she got the message, find them some air support now.

Moving quickly, she managed to free up a Y-wing squadron by taking one off the mission to destroy the hanger and dispatched them to support Obi-wan's position.

She switched one viewscreen to the lead bombers nose mounted camera and watched as they dove down on the tanks surrounding the 212th's position, making quick work of them and coming around for another pass, she could just make out several clones cheering inside the box and the bombers finished off the last of the Geonosian positions.

Not long after that, Anakin and Ki-Adi's forces linked up with Obi-wan's and began their final assault on the shield generator that was their target. 

Soon after they reported their mission's success and she let out a relieved sigh, they'd all survived another battle.

Then their was a call for a medivac from their position and she passed it on to the medical teams, along with the locations of all her pilots that had gone down and survived.

Most of the other objectives were now secured as well, with only a couple of mopping up actions underway, allowing her to hand off control to another handler and join her Master at the main tactical display.

“That was good work Barriss,” Luminara said as she joined her.

“Thank you,” she replied with a small bow of her head “But I don't think I want to do that again.”

“Oh? Whys that?” Luminara asked, looking at her with an eyebrow raised.

“It's... almost torture watching them go into battle while we stay up here safe aboard the ship,” she said quietly.

“Yes it is,” Luminara replied softly, staring unseeingly at the tactical holos, lost in thought. “Obi-wan's been medivaced with Ki-Adi and most of their forces so we'll be taking the 41st down to assist in their attack on the factory,” she added after a moment.

“Okay” she nodded, a small smile spreading across her face.

“Now, the factory is heavily defended and well reinforced so a direct assault will not work, however I have an alternative strategy,” she continued, pulling out a small holo projector and activating it.

A maze like map of tunnels appeared between them.

“This is a map of the tunnel network beneath the factory, I want you to memorize it so that you'll be able to navigate through it to the power generator unaided.”

“Yes Master,” she said, taking it from her.

“We depart in four hours, I know that's not much time but I'm confident you can do it.”

“I won't let you down,” she replied firmly, before taking her leave and heading for her quarters, already focused on the map that could be the difference between life and death for her, feeling that by the time they were done here, she'd hate Geonosis even more than she did now.

  


* * *

  


Anakin scrapped a hand over his face, trying to wipe off some of the dirt, sweat and sand that had built up since they'd landed on this force forsaken world barely eight hours ago, but all it seemed to do was drive it in deeper and irritate his skin further so he gave it up with a sigh and turned towards where Ahsoka was briefing their remaining NCO's and other officers, a mixture of 501st , 212th and Galactic Marines that had survived the first part of their campaign, on one of their portable holotables.

He wandered over and listened as she ran over the plan for the coming push on the factory, proud of how far she'd come since she'd become his Padawan, even since their campaign above Ryloth just a few weeks earlier where she'd been unsure of her decisions in the aftermath of losing most of her squadron.

“Any questions?” she finished.

There were none, but before she dismissed them he thought of something to add. 

“Don't forget to top up your power cells and canteens, cause once we leave there won't be any resupply.”

“Yes General,” they said.

“If there was nothing else,” she said with a glance at him and he shook his head “You're dismissed.”

They all nodded and stood as the rumble of approaching gunships filled the air.

As their men left to take care of whatever it was they needed to, Ahsoka turned to him.

“Is that our reinforcements?”

“Yep, two companies of the 41st,” he replied with a smile. 

“Oh, that's Master Luminara's legion.”

“Yes, her and Barriss will be helping us with the attack on the factory.”

“Your friend Barriss?”

“Yep,” he smiled.

“It'll be nice to finally meet her,” she said “After what you've told me and the rumours I've heard, I'm not sure what to expect.”

“Perhaps it is best to have no expectations, that way you'll be able to get to know her without them clouding your mind?” he said absently.

“Hmm, you could be right,” she conceded after a bit of thought “If I have expectations I'll be trying to make them fit those rather than just getting to know them as they are,” she half said, half asked.

“Yes,” he said, slightly surprised. Somehow she'd turned his random statement into a lesson and learned something from it and he couldn't help the surge in pride he felt of her. She felt it as well and practically beamed at him as the 41st's gunships rounded the spire they'd set up beside and began landing.

One of the gunships separated from the rest and landed nearer to them, Rex stepped forward to meet it as the doors opened and Luminara and Barriss stepped out. Rex greeted them, then pointed to where he and Ahsoka were standing and they started in their direction, while Rex went to talk with Commander Gree.

He nudged Ahsoka forward and they moved to meet them halfway. As they approached them, he caught Barriss's eye and she grinned at him, before glancing at Ahsoka then back to him, a mischievous expression on her face that vanished as they reached each other.

“We've got to stop meeting here,” He said with a grin.

“The thought had occurred to me,” Luminara said with a wry smile. Then she turned to Barriss, who was standing patiently beside her, a hint of mischief still in her eyes. 

“Well Barriss, aren't you going to introduce yourself?” she asked.

Barriss nodded and approached Ahsoka.

“Padawan Learner Barriss Offee at your service,” she said, sinking into a curtsy.

He and Luminara smirked as Ahsoka looked at Barriss, stunned for a moment, then stuck out her hand.

“Hi, I'm Ahsoka,” she said as Barriss shook it “Good to finally meet you,” she added, giving her a small smile that Barriss returned.

“You too,” Barriss replied.

He shook his head, still smirking and rolled his eyes as they both glanced at him.

“It's good to see you both again,” he said.

“Yes, it is,” Barriss said, moving closer to him.

He reached out and pulled her into a hug and her arms wrapped around him as he held her tightly, not speaking, just enjoying being close again. After an all to brief moment, they pulled apart and he caught sight of Ahsoka staring at them, an almost hurt expression on her face. 

He sent her a nudge over their bond and her eyes snapped to his. He frowned questioningly at her and her expression became neutral once more, thought there was still a lingering... something in her eyes.

“Perhaps we should get down to business?” Luminara suggested, and a glance at her told him she'd noticed Ahsoka's strange look as well.

“Yes, that factory isn't going to destroy itself,” he said, turning and heading back over to their tactical holotable. 

Barriss and Luminara stepped up beside him while Ahsoka trailed along behind, conflicting feelings coming off her.

They gathered round it and he brought up the holo of the target again and briefly ran over their current plan of attack, a full frontal attack.

“Hmm, a frontal attack is risky and our losses will be high,” Luminara said after a moment.

“I know” he sighed “But not as high as they will be if they get the factory fully operational.”

“Indeed, but there is an alternative,” she said, adding a map of the catacombs beneath the factory to the holo “Every Geonosian building has a series of catacombs beneath it, deep under ground.”

“Some of the tunnels are close enough to the cliff wall that we could cut a hole and make an entry point,” Barriss said, picking up from Luminara.

“And once they're inside, they can navigate through them to the power core, plant the explosives and destroy the factory from the inside out,” Luminara finished.

“Looks like a good way to get lost if you ask me,” he said, frowning at the map.

“For the unprepared perhaps,” she replied “But I have instructed Barriss to memorise the layout, all two hundred junctions.” 

Barriss nodded solemnly, but there was a hint of a smile in her eyes.

“Of course you did,” he chuckled, patting her on the shoulder.

Then Ahsoka moved up between them, not so subtly nudging Barriss aside, making her glance at him questioningly and he could only shrug in response.

“How do we keep the Geonosian's occupied while someone is planting the bombs?” she asked, ignoring their looks of confusion and amusement.

“Good point Ahsoka,” he said, giving her a slightly stern look that she ignored as well “If whoever's going in there is going to be successful we'll need to cause a diversion.” 

“Precisely” Luminara agreed “That will be carried out by you and I, Anakin. While the destruction of the factory falls to the Padawan's.”

He didn't like that at all, but he couldn't think of anything better so reluctantly agreed.

Barriss sensed his reluctance and tried to reassure him.

“Don't worry, we can handle ourselves,” she said, reaching past Ahsoka to squeeze his arm.

“I know you can,” he said quietly “It just seems like a suicide mission.”

“It won't be if we do our jobs properly,” Luminara said firmly and he nodded.

“Yeah, we'll be fine,” Ahsoka said, with a glance at Barriss, who nodded and smiled slightly.

She managed a half smile in response and turned back to him.

"I can do it," she said quietly.

“I know, just be careful, both of you,” he said, squeezing their shoulders.

“We'll monitor your progress on these chronometers,” Luminara said, handing them each one “Synchronise on my mark. Three. Two. One. Mark,” she said and they synced them, before holding them together to make sure they were.

“Here are the explosives,” Luminara added, passing a bag to Ahsoka.

“Thanks,” she said, strapping it on.

“May the force be with you,” he said as she turned to leave.

She nodded.

“After you, Barriss,” she said when she noticed her lingering by him.

Barriss rolled her eyes as she passed him and walked off down the hill towards the valley where their objective was, Ahsoka following close behind. 

_”Good luck”_ he called over their bond.

 _”You too”_ she replied. 

Luminara stepped up beside him as they watched them disappear into the desert.

“I'm not sure what happened there, she's never been like that before,” he said to her unasked question.

“Jealousy perhaps?” she suggested.

“Of what?” he asked, confused.

“Well, have you told her much of Barriss?”

“I told her a bit, just stories from missions when we were younger, that sort of thing” he said, turning to look at her. 

“Hmm... perhaps she's worried you think Barriss is a better Padawan than she is?”

“But that's ridiculous,” he replied.

“To you maybe, but to her it could be a very real possibility.”

He frowned thoughtfully, mulling that over. Though it seems ridiculous to him now, he remembered how worried he was in his first couple of years as Obi-wan's apprentice, worried he wouldn't be good enough.

“'I'll talk to her when they get back,” he said after a moment.

“Aright,” Luminara said “Now, we have a diversion to plan, any suggestions?”

“Well, we want something so tempting that they can't resist coming out to fight us, so I was thinking something like this” he said, adding a formation to the map of the target “If we march our tanks up the path parade style, with an escort of troopers, that should get their attention, while the rest of our men take up position in these outcrops here,” he added indicating the rocks lining the road to the factory “That'll provide decent cover for them and give us a wider front to engage them on.”

“It's certainly bold,” she commented.

“And pretty straight forward, all we have to do is destroy the droids faster than they make them,” he added with a grin.

She snorted.

“I do love your simple logic, Anakin.”

“If only Obi-wan felt the same,” he chuckled.

“I'm sure he does, somewhere, deep, deep, down,” she grinned.

He laughed.

“Come on, we should prep the men,” she said, walking over to where Rex and Gree were talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	24. Chapter 24

Barriss looked up as the sound of mechanical marching feet filled the air. On the bridge above them, rank after rank of droids moved past, going to meet their Master's diversion. And whatever they were doing, it was working, the droids weren't paying them any attention.

Satisfied, she turned her gaze to the canyon floor and fellow Padawan below her.

Ahsoka was... not what she'd expected based off what Anakin had told her about her, and based on her behaviour earlier, Ahsoka was jealous of her for some reason.

But she hadn't even met her before so she couldn't think of why that could be, she'd have to talk to her once they were done with this mission, she decided as they reached the bottom.

With another glance up, they rushed over to the other side and she began searching for the tunnel as the sounds of battle came down from above, while Ahsoka watched and kept an eye out for trouble.

When she found it, she lit her lightsaber and plunged it into the rock, carving out a rectangle to make an entry point for them.

“Why are you cutting a rectangle?” Ahsoka asked, curiously.

Barriss shot her a questioning look but continued cutting.

“My master says circles are better,” Ahsoka added.

Barriss snorted.

“That's because they're quicker and he's lazy,” she replied, finishing off the door and pulling it out, letting it fall to the ground as Ahsoka made a shocked and outraged noise.

“My master's not lazy,” she hissed, while Barriss just rolled her eyes.

“When we've finished this mission I'll tell you about the time he tried cooking his rations with a lightsaber.”

Ahsoka's lips twitched as she tried to maintain her angry expression but couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face.

“That's...” she trailed off.

“Dumb yeah,” she said with a smile“ Now come on, we need to move quickly” she added and disappeared inside, hearing Ahsoka follow with a snort.

The tunnel turned dark very quickly, but using the force they were able navigate fairly easily through the twisting and winding passages.

When they reached the first junction, she paused visualising the path they needed to take.

“This way,” she said after moment, taking the left tunnel.

“I hope you're right,” she heard Ahsoka mumble, as they pressed on into the darkness.

  


* * *

  


Anakin deflected several blaster bolts back at the advancing droids and leapt forwards, slashing through half a dozen and throwing more back with a blast from the force.

Beside him, Luminara was holding up a droid as a shield while she systematically worked her way through their front lines, while behind them came their men, laying down a steady stream of fire into their ranks.

“They should have entered the catacombs by now,” Luminara called as she discarded her shield, casually deflecting the bolts that came her way.

“Yeah, I hope they don't get lost in there,” he replied, slicing through the last droid near him.

“They'll be fine,” she said, charging off to meet the next wave.

He chased after her, slashing through a dozen droids before coming to a halt as a squadron of destroyers rolled forward and deployed, sending volley after volley of blaster bolts at them. 

“Rex, little help here!” He shouted, frantically blocking the torrent of blaster fire.

“Get up there trooper,” he heard Rex order and shifted sideways as a trooper carrying a rocket launcher stepped up beside him.

He took aim and shot the middle destroyer, the explosion blew it and the ones near it to pieces as their AT-TE's targeted the remaining ones.

The surviving droids were quickly finished off and they moved on towards the bridge.

“That wasn't so bad,” he said, deactivating his lightsaber.

“No it was-” she began, but stopped as the factory door opened and a column of tanks emerged.

“Looks like the Separatists have a new toy,” she said instead.

“Yeah, Rex pick your targets,” he ordered.

“Yes Sir,” Rex responded, directing their heavy cannons to fire at the approaching tanks.

After taking a moment to aim, they opened fire.

The tanks disappeared under the bombardment as round after round hammered into them, but as the smoke cleared, they emerged unharmed.

“Sir, nothing could withstand that” Rex said in mild disbelief.

“They must be ray shielded,” he said, annoyed.

On top of the tanks hatches began opening and streams of missiles began pouring out.

“Get down!” he shouted as he and Luminara dove for cover.

The missiles crashed down around them, destroying their cannons and scattering their men.

“Rex, tell the men to fall back,” he ordered.

“How will that solve anything?” Rex asked. 

“I want to draw those tanks out onto the bridge,” he said, grabbing a backpack of explosives from one of the troopers.

“I see what you're thinking,” Luminara nodded, taking a pack of her own.

He grinned, then vaulted over the rocks they were hiding behind and ran for the bridge, Luminara close behind him.

  


* * *

  


After few wrong turns and one heartstopping incident where one of the sleeping Geonosians had grabbed her head, they emerged into the lower levels of the factory and quietly crept towards the power generation chamber.

“This is it,” Barriss said, a few minutes later as she carefully poked her head through the hatch into the generator room.

She climbed through and held it open as Ahsoka crawled out.

“Let's get these set then make ourselves scarce” Ahsoka said, pulling charges from her pack and placing them on the generator cone.

They got them all set then Ahsoka activated them.

“Come on, let's get out of here” she said, and they made their way back to the hatch.

Suddenly, from behind them came the sounds of a door opening and they spun around, lightsabers at the ready to find half a dozen Geonosians and a tank entering the room.

“Collect their pathetic little bombs and kill them” the tactical droid leading them ordered.

The Geonosians opened up with their sonic blasters forcing them to dive out of the way.

Barriss rolled out of her dive and leapt towards the nearest Geonosian, slashing it in half and catching a second with the back swing.

Then the tank opened fire, forcing them back as more of the bugs began collecting their bombs.

“See how your tank likes this” Ahsoka shouted, tossing her last one onto the tank.

The droid just laughed.

“The super tank is impervious to all weap-” it began, but was destroyed as the bomb exploded, scattering it across the room.

To their disappointment though, the tank was unharmed and they were pushed further and further back.

“The bombs!” Ahsoka cried, noticing that the Geonosians were collecting them.

She ran forwards to try and stop them, but they flew away so she leapt after them and managed to grab onto one of them before being thrown off and falling to the ground, landing in a heap and not moving.

Barriss fought her way over and stood protectively over the fallen Padawan, trying desperately to think of a way out of the situation, watching as the remaining Geonosians disappeared down the hatch.

Then the tank raised the cover on what looked like it's primary weapon and she had an idea. Quickly running over to it, she leapt up onto it, cut through it's unprotected hull and jumped inside, making quick work of it's crew.

“Ahsoka, up here” she called, popping the hatch and sticking her head out.

Ahsoka picked herself up and jumped up to join her.

“Now what do we do?” Ahsoka asked, looking at her.

“I don't know” she replied, thinking of the one thing they could do but not wanting to suggest it.

“Well...” Ahsoka began hesitantly “This tank could probably destroy the generator, and us along with it” she finished quietly.

“I don't think we have any other choice” she said sadly, imagining how Anakin would feel having to live on without her, but quickly banishing the thought.

Ahsoka nodded glumly and switched her comm on to call her master.

  


* * *

  


This wasn't how he'd pictured his day going, Anakin thought as he hung from the underside of the bridge, over a drop of at least 200 metres.

Still, it could be worse he decided as he moved along, placing the explosives as Luminara did the same on the other side.

Above them he could hear the tanks rumbling past, they were almost to the end, they needed to hurry.

He increased his speed and quickly used up the last of his bombs, before swinging up onto the bridge.

Luminara landed beside him as he raised the detonator and with a satisfied smirk, pressed the button.

The bombs exploded, destroying the bridge and taking the tanks with it, but leaving them on the wrong side of the canyon.

They nodded to each other then moved off the bridge to get a closer look at the factory.

“Where are they?” he said, staring at his chronometer “Those bombs are gonna go off any second now.”

“Rex” he said into his comm “Any sign of Barriss or Ahsoka on your side?”

_“No sir, but this place is getting ready to blow. The evacuation ships are arriving, I suggest you get on one”_

“Not without Ahsoka,” he retorted.

“I'm sure they're fine,” Luminara said soothingly “The rock may just be interfering with the signal.”

Just then his comm chimed.

“It's Ahsoka,” he said as he answered it “Ahsoka, where are you?”

  


* * *

  


_”... Where are you?”_

“I'm sorry Master” Ahsoka said, with a glance at Barriss “We're not going to make it out.”

_”What, no, Ahsoka wait, there has to be another way.”_

“Goodbye” she whispered, ending the call and turning the tank to aim at the generator.

Barriss closed her eyes and an image of her and Anakin came into her mind, of them training together, before the war, before the galaxy had been torn apart.

_”I'm sorry Anakin,”_ she said over their bond, pouring all her love for him into it as Ahsoka pulled the trigger and the world exploded.

  


* * *

  


Ahsoka hung up on him and he glared at his comm, about to call her back when he felt Barriss reach out to him.

_”I'm sorry Anakin”_ she said, and he felt her pouring all her love out to him.

“Barriss, no!” he yelled, running towards the factory, while Luminara watched, startled and not entirely sure what was happening.

But it was too late.

He'd barely gone five steps when the factory blew.

“No,” he gasped, as it began to collapse in on itself.

Luminara came up behind him and grabbed he arm pulling him back.

“Anakin,” she shouted over the sounds of destruction “We need to move, it's not safe here.”

He nodded vaguely, tears falling down his cheeks and allowed her to pull him further back behind cover. 

After a while the sounds died away, and silence settled over everything.

He got up from where they'd taken cover and walked towards where the factory had been, reaching out with his senses, feeling they were still alive but buried deep.

“We need to hurry” he said as Luminara followed behind him “They're still alive, but I don't know how long they'll stay that way”

“Agreed, I'll contact the men, get the tank carriers down here.” 

He nodded and while she made the call, he reached out to Barriss.

_“Barriss?, are you alright.”_

  


* * *

  


_”Barriss, are you alright?”_

The presence penetrated her throbbing head and it took her a moment to identify it, Anakin. Which meant she wasn't dead yet. 

_” Anakin?”_ she reached back.

_“Barriss! Thank the force, are you alright?”_ he said.

_”I think so,”_ she replied.

_”How's Ahsoka?”_

“Uhh” she said aloud, glancing round the almost pitch black interior.

Ahsoka was in the next seat over groaning softly as, by the sound of it, she was pulling herself up off the floor. 

_”She's alright”_ she sent.

What came from him next wasn't so much a thought as an overwhelming sense of relief.

_”Hold on alright, we're coming, we just need to dig down.”_

_”We'll be here,”_ she replied, with an impression of a smirk.

She got an eye roll back, and snorted.

At that point Ahsoka switched on her lightsaber, lighting up the darkness.

She lit hers as well and glanced over Ahsoka. Her fellow Padawan didn't appear to injured, though they'd have to check for internal ones later.

“How deep do you think we are?” Barriss asked, more to make conversation than anything else.

“Probably best not to think about it,” Ahsoka replied, fiddling with her comm.

Then she glanced up at her, an almost guilty expression on her face.

“I'm... sorry about my behaviour earlier” she muttered “I don't know why I acted like that”

“That's alright” Barriss said with a small smile “It's an understandable reaction when someone you don't know steals your Master's attention.” 

“I- I suppose but... I'm sorry” she muttered again “I know my Master really likes you and I wanted to like you too, I mean, after all the stories he's told me about you, it sounded like we'd get on well, but when you hugged him I just... I don't know,” she trailed off.

“That's alright” she said again, leaning over and giving Ahsoka's shoulder a squeeze “When we get out of here we can start fresh.”

Ahsoka smiled.

“I'd like that.”

Then her expression turned gloomy.

“If we get out of here.”

“We will,” Barriss said firmly “Our Master's are up there now digging us out I'm sure.”

“But how will they know where to dig?” she asked.

“I...” Barriss trailed off, not sure either. 

“Wait, I have an idea” Ahsoka said suddenly “Could you hold the light?”

Barriss nodded and took Ahsoka's lightsaber when she handed it to her.

“I think I can get this comm working” she said “Hand me that power cell there would you?”

She reached up and pulled out the cell and handed it to Ahsoka.

“Master Skywalker's taught me a few tricks” she mumbled as she worked “Yes, here we go” she said as the comm began emitting a faint signal.

“I hope it works,” Barriss said.

“It will,” Ahsoka promised “And my Master would never give up on us.”

“I know,” she said quietly.

  


* * *

  


Anakin paced anxiously back and forth while Luminara stood by, a picture of calm, though he could sense her worry as they waited for the last of the debris to be cleared.

They'd been concerned that they wouldn't be able to find them to start with, since they couldn't pinpoint their location in the force and no idea where they'd been when it blew. Then, to their relief, Ahsoka's comlink had started broadcasting and they'd been able to home in on it's position.

Now, it was just a matter of digging them out.

But it was taking to long, he could feel them growing weaker as their air ran out.

“This is taking too long, we need to do something,” he muttered to Luminara as he moved past and jumped down into the pit.

She followed him down and, after a moment to focus themselves, used the force to lift off the remaining wreckage and throw it aside.

After a moment to recover from the strain of lifting so much, they jumped down to the bottom where the remains of a tank was visible.

As they approached it, the hatch popped open and Ahsoka climbed out followed by Barriss, both coughing on all the dust that filled the air.

He rushed forward and enveloped Ahsoka in a hug as she jumped down, then pulled Barriss in as well we she joined them.

“Don't do that to me,” he whispered.

“Sorry Master,” Ahsoka mumbled, while Barriss just hugged him back.

After a minute they broke apart and Luminara hugged Barriss as well, to everyone's surprise, as she did not normally show affection that way.

“I'm glad you're safe,” she told Barriss.

“Thank you Master,” she replied.

After a minute spent checking them over for any obvious injuries, they all climbed out of the pit and when they reached the top they were met by medics from both their legions, who recommended a day of rest for the two Padawans.

They both protested, saying they were fine but he and Luminara ignored them and stuck them on the next gunship up to Luminara's ship.

Once he'd seen them off he went to find Luminara and Obi-wan, who had returned after a brief stay in a medical bay.

As he approached them, he sensed the feelings coming off them and decided it would be best to delay his arrival for a bit, and found an interesting rock to look at until the feelings faded with the sound of a speeder bike racing away.

He looked up and found Obi-wan standing alone, watching the speeder bike disappear into the distance, a faint smile on his face.

“Where's she off to?” he asked as he approached.

“Poggle hunting” Obi-wan smirked.

“Ahh yes” he replied “The sooner we catch that bug the sooner we can get off this world”

“Indeed,” Obi-wan said “And hopefully we'll never be back here again.”

“Yeah,” he laughed “Never would be too soon.”

"Yes," Obi-wan sighed, turning to him with a more serious expression "Luminara told me what happened and I'm glad they got out alright, but you need to be mindful of your feelings. I know you love them but you can't allow yourself to fall apart like that."

"I know," he sighed "It was just... the though of losing both of them at once and..." he shook his head.

"I understand," Obi-wan said sympathetically, placing a hand on his shoulder "Just keep it in mind in the future, though I hope something like that never happens again."

"Me too," he said quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barriss and Ahsoka talk, while Anakin and Obi-wan go to save Luminara.

On the trip up to her Master's ship, Barriss conceded their Master's had been right, they did need a rest, as the adrenalin faded and she felt exhaustion begin to sink in. And by the looks of her, Ahsoka felt the same as she glanced at her with half closed eyes. 

She gave her a tired smile and got one back, but they remained silent until they reached the Tranquillity.

Medics met the gunship as it landed and removed the wounded troopers that had been with them.

Once it was clear, they stepped out and were met by Switcher.

“What have you done this time?” he asked with a long suffering sigh.

“Hey,” she retorted, feeling some of her energy return “It's not our fault the factory collapsed on us.”

“Actually it kind of is,” Ahsoka corrected with a grin “We did blow it up while we were still inside.”

“Well that was dumb,” he commented, tilting her head back so he could shine a light in her eyes. 

“I'm Switcher by the way,” he added with a glance at Ahsoka.

“Ahsoka,” she smiled “I've heard rumours about you.”

“Oh really?” he said speculatively, absently shining the light at Barriss.

“Yeah, my Master says you could give Fives and Hardcase a run for their credits.”

“Ha,” he scoffed “I'd like to see them try.”

“So would I,” Ahsoka grinned “I should introduce you after this campaign is over.”

“No!” Barriss almost shouted “If you do, there'll be chaos.”

“Sounds like fun,” Ahsoka teased.

“Until one of them puts pink dye in your drink,” Barriss muttered, and regretted it almost immediately when Ahsoka's expression turned mischievous.

“You're not speaking from experience are you?” she asked slyly.

“No!” she muttered, blushing faintly.

Ahsoka laughed and glanced at Switcher, who nodded.

She laughed again.

“Do you have pictures?” she asked.

“Yep” he smirked as he finished examining Barriss “I don't think there's a concussion, but you should get your head examined anyway.”

“Very funny,” Barriss muttered as Switcher turned to Ahsoka and performed the same examination.

“Well, you seem fine,” he said after a moment “Normally I'd want to keep you overnight for observation but I don't have any room. Besides, I think I can trust you to come back if anything changes,” he finished, giving Barriss a stern look.

“Of course,” she rolled her eyes.

“Just take it easy for the rest of the day, I don't want either of your Master's upset with me,” he said as he walked away.

“I like him” Ahsoka said as he left the hangar.

Barriss scowled at her, then her expression softened.

“So do I,” she said “Even if he's a pain in the neck sometimes.” 

“Aww, I think it's nice, he reminds me of Fives,” she said, a bit wistfully.

“I suppose he does a bit,” Barriss replied “You know, I actually met Switcher for the first time here, it was just after we'd escaped the arena, I was sent back to help with all the wounded Jedi while everyone else continued the battle and he was the medic in charge.”

“Wow, what was it like to be there?” Ahsoka asked as they left the hanger too, unconsciously heading for the mess.

“Hasn't Anakin told you? He was there too.” 

“No, he always says he will but never gets around to it” Ahsoka complained.

“Oh, well I'll give you the highlights then,” Barriss said and began retelling the story, glossing over the more horrific portions of it as they entered the mess and got themselves trays of food.

“And I thought they were crazy now,” Ahsoka snorted a few minutes later when she'd finished.

“Oh, you have no idea” Barriss smirked, picking up a spoonful of something and swallowing it in one gulp.

“I still can't believe Senator Amidala was there,” Ahsoka continued, starting on her own food.

“Why? Have you met her?”

Ahsoka nodded.

“Yep, a few times now, I like her, she's nice.”

“Yes, she is,” Barriss said quietly.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, till she felt a question building in Ahsoka.

“Yes?” she asked, glancing at her.

“Umm... You said Skyguy once tried to cook rations with a lightsaber?” Ahsoka said, looking at her hopefully.

“Yes,” she said with a smile, and launched into the tale of how, during one of their missions, Anakin had gotten impatient and started trying to cook his rations on his lightsaber.

It had ended not only with the rations being incinerated but with him somehow managing to set himself on fire and Ahsoka laughed as she finished by describing how she'd had to put him out with her cloak before their Master's returned.

She followed it up with several stories from their childhood that fascinated Ahsoka, who then told a couple from her time with Anakin and Barriss rolled her eyes as Ahsoka told her about the first time she'd met Anakin and the resulting chaos that tended to happen wherever he went.

It was late when they finally called it a night, wishing each other good night outside Ahsoka's temporary quarters before she headed for her own.

When she reached them, she stepped inside with a sigh of relief and began peeling off her filthy robes, tossing them into a pile and stepping into the refresher, turning the water up as hot as she could stand and letting it wash away dirt and stress of the day.

When she eventually got out, she pulled on her sleep clothes and collapsed into bed, wrapping herself in the blankets.

Ahsoka was nice, she thought as she drifted off, she could see why Anakin was so proud of her.

  


* * *

  


There wasn't a more unpleasant place in the galaxy than Geonosis, Anakin decided.

If you weren't about to be executed in an arena full of dangerous creatures or shot down, then your Padawan and girlfriend were being buried beneath thousands of tons of debris and wreckage. And if it wasn't that then you found yourself crawling through some force forsaken tunnel and being attacked by zombified bugs while you searched for your master's girlfriend, who had somehow managed to get herself captured and taken down here.

“Makes you wish we had a way to destroy whole planets,” he muttered, as they cut through yet another swarm of undead Geonosians.

Beside him, Obi-wan grunted as he sliced through the last of their attackers.

“What? No reprimand? No Anakin, that's not the Jedi way?” he smirked.

“No, I happen to agree with you,” Obi-wan said drily, as they continued on into the catacombs.

“Hey, did ya hear that Cody? Obi-wan agrees with me.”

“I'm sorry sir, I wasn't listening,” Cody replied with a hint of amusement.

“Typical,” he muttered, while Obi-wan smirked.

“We're close,” Obi-wan said suddenly “Get ready.”

Their men spread out as much as they could in the confined space and moved cautiously forwards as they advanced into a large chamber.

“There she is,” Anakin whispered when he spotted Luminara at the back of the chamber, surrounded by zombie Geonosians and what could only be the Geonosian queen, pretending not to see Obi-wan's momentary slump of relief.

“And there's Poggle,” Obi-wan added, straightening again as Poggle stepped into view.

“Good,” he said as they ducked behind one of the support pillars “You take the soldiers I'll take the queen and free Luminara.”

“Must we always rush into things?” Obi-wan asked drily.

“Oh come Master, you don't actually want to talk to this thing do you?” he replied.

“Actually I do,” Obi-wan said “They could have killed Luminara, but they took her alive instead. I want to know why.”

“Ugh, fine. We'll do it your way.”

“So glad you agree” Obi-wan said sarcastically, before turning to Cody. “Cody set your men up around the perimeter, these creatures live in darkness so the light from your helmets should blind them. Turn your headlamps on when I give the signal, that should provide enough of a distraction for us to get Luminara out of here.”

“But what happens when the bugs pursue” Cody asked “You've seen them in action, we can't kill them.”

“We'll have to bury them then,” Anakin said “Shoot out the support pillars and this whole place will collapse.”

Obi-wan nodded.

“Let's go then” he said as Cody and his men disappeared into the darkness.

Anakin held his breath as they stepped out of their hiding place and walked towards the queen, expecting at any moment to be attacked by the hordes of Geonosians around them.

But nothing happened.

“How did you know they wouldn't attack?” he asked.

“Because I make observations while you think with your lightsaber,” Obi-wan replied.

“Well that quick thinking of mine is usually needed when your observations get us into trouble,” he retorted.

“Anakin,” Obi-wan sighed “The queen took Luminara hostage, she wanted a Jedi and now she has two more, I want to know what she's after.”

Anakin grimaced as they passed a group of particularly disgusting bugs.

“Well, when this doesn't go as planned, which it won't, I'll be ready.”

“That is so reassuring” Obi-wan muttered, and he shook his head,

A few steps later, they were at the foot of the Queen's... throne he guessed, and came to a stop, staring up at her and Luminara.

“I thought I told you not to follow me down here, Obi-wan,” Luminara said, though she looked pleased to see them.

“Yes, well I took a page from Anakin's book and decided not to follow orders.”

“Hey,” he said.

Obi-wan ignored him and addressed the Queen.

He didn't really pay attention to what Obi-wan was saying, instead he focused on Luminara, making sure she was alright.

Then the queen spoke and his eyes snapped to her as he struggled not to laugh, she sounded ridiculous, though Obi-wan appeared fascinated as she went on about her plan to take over the galaxy and use the Jedi as her slaves.

“I think you'll find we won't submit as easily as you hope,” Obi-wan replied.

She replied by saying she would devour them, take over their minds and control them as Poggle stepped forwards, holding a small worm-like creature.

“It's a sort of mind control, a hive mind, she thinks she can possess us,” Obi-wan said, almost excitedly.

“Great,” he replied with disgust “Find out everything you wanted to know yet?”

“Wait, I want to see how it works,” Obi-wan said.

“I don't think Luminara wants to see how it works,” he replied incredulously.

“No, I don't,” Luminara said with a glare.

“I'm curious, the more we know the better,” Obi-wan continued.

“I disagree,” Luminara said with concern as Poggle approached her.

“So do I” he added.

“Come now, the nose or the ear, which do you think it will enter?”

“Ugh, I think the nose” he said as Poggle raised the worm in front of her.

Luminara muttered something he probably didn't want to know as the worm reached her head, then it was ripped off her as Obi-wan grabbed it with the force and crushed it, shouting “Now!”

From their positions hidden around the chamber, Cody and his men sprung out, blinding the bugs with their headlamps and providing the distraction he needed to leap forwards and free Luminara, returning her lightsaber he'd found earlier.

Then they cut up the nearest zombie bugs and he grabbed Poggle and dragged him towards the exit while Luminara and Obi-wan covered him.

They made it out of the chamber and he handed Poggle off to two troopers, who pressed on for the exit while he waited for Luminara and Obi-wan, who were holding back the horde until Cody and his remaining men shot out the support pillars and the cavern began to collapse.

“Well, all things considered that went better than I expected,” Obi-wan said as they turned to follow the clones.

“Yeah,” he muttered from where he was walking slightly ahead of them, then heard a thump and an oof, followed by a muttered apology from Obi-wan.

He snorted and shook his head, he thought Obi-wan would have learned his lesson after their Gamorr mission, but apparently not. 

“Come on,” he called over his shoulder “We need to hurry, this whole place feels like it's going to collapse.”

  


* * *

  


When they eventually made it out, assisted by the rush of air from the collapsing cave system, they all piled back onto their gunship and returned to base.

Luminara was safe and they'd captured Poggle, so all in all, it was a good days work, Anakin thought as they landed outside their temporary command centre.

They were met by a squad of clones who took Poggle inside to one of their holding cells.

Then Cody and his men went off to get some much needed rest, while Obi-wan and Luminara just slipped away, leaving him alone, with nothing pressing to do.

That was until Rex joined him and informed him that Ahsoka and Barriss had returned and it reminded him of a conversation he needed to have.

He thanked Rex and went looking for them, following his bonds until he found them sitting on a rocky outcrop together, laughing. And by the way they looked at him guiltily as he approached, spotting no sign of Ahsoka's earlier mood, he easily guessed what their source of amusement was.

“I take it I'm the source of amusement?” he said with a smile as he reached them.

Barriss smirked and nodded while Ahsoka replied with a cheerful “Yep.”

“I see,” he said “Which story is it?”

“The incident on Gamorr,” Ahsoka supplied helpfully.

“Ahh,” he shuddered “But I bet she left out the part where she fell in the mud pit.”

“I was getting to that,” Barriss muttered, while Ahsoka looked delightedly between them.

“I'm sure you were,” he smirked and Barriss glared at him.

Then his expression sobered.

“Do you mind if I steal Ahsoka for a minute? I need to talk to her about something.”

“Not at all,” Barriss said as Ahsoka stood up.

“Won't be long,” he promised as he walked away, Ahsoka following a little apprehensively.

He stopped about twenty metres away and turned to face her.

He opened his mouth to speak, but had no idea where to begin and sighed.

“What happened yesterday?” he asked finally.

“I don't know,” she said quietly, head lowered “I just felt... I don't know,” she trailed off.

“Ahsoka,” he said, taking hold of her shoulders “I understand you feeling jealous, when I first became Obi-wan's Padawan I felt the same, and I was always worried he'd say one day that I wasn't good enough and send me back and replace me with a better behaved Padawan.”

At that, Ahsoka managed a small laugh that still sounded a bit unsure, so he pressed on.

“And I know Barriss seems like the perfect Padawan that every Master would want to have and although she's been my closest friend for almost eleven years now, there is no way I would want her as my Padawan, we're too different and it would just weird because we've been friends so long.” That, and the fact she was his secret girlfriend, he didn't add.

“Besides,” he continued with a smirk “ She cuts rectangles as doors and that's just wrong.”

Ahsoka managed another laugh.

“What I'm trying to say here is that you're my Padawan and I wouldn't change that for anything. I may get annoyed sometimes, but I couldn't ask for a better Padawan.” 

“Really?” she asked, looking up at him with watery eyes.

“Of course,” he responded, pulling her into a hug and she buried her face in his chest.

“Thank you master” she whispered when they pulled apart, wiping her eyes.

“That's alright,” he said, awkwardly patting her on the back.

She hiccuped slightly, then glanced over to where Barriss was sitting and smiled brightly at him.

“Was there anything else Master?” she asked.

“No, that's all snips” he smiled, making a shooing motion.

Her smile changed to a grin and she turned around and ran back to Barriss, a new spring in her step.

He smiled as he watched her rejoin Barriss, and judging by her arm motions, began describing something enthusiastically.

He saw Barriss roll her eyes, then glance at him, a small smile forming on her lips.

 _”Later”_ he sent over their bond and saw her give an almost imperceptible nod. 

Then he turned around and went off to find something to do, preferably something that would annoy Obi-wan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brain worms attack and the aftermath.

“I'm glad that's over,” Anakin said, as he, Luminara and Obi-wan watched their forces prepare to leave now that Poggle had been captured and Geonosis was once more under their control.

“Yes,” Luminara sighed “Hopefully we'll never have to come back.”

“Yes,” Obi-wan said “And I'm looking forward to our leave after this.”

“We're actually going to get leave?” Anakin asked, looking hopeful.

“Yes, it's been far to long since any of us has had a proper break.” 

“Great,” he smiled, as a shuttle landed in front of them and Ki-Adi stepped out.

“I'm afraid we have a complication,” he said as he reached them.

“Don't we always,” Anakin sighed.

“I've just received a distress call from Master Windu's forces of Dantooine. His forces held but at a great cost to his men, they need medical supplies and any other help we can send, we should be able to obtain these supplies from our medical station near Ord Cestus.”

“We need to get Poggle to Coruscant and Cestus isn't exactly on the way,” Anakin replied.

“Poggle must be interrogated as soon as possible if we hope to gain any valuable information,” Luminara added, frowning.

“What's happening?” Ahsoka asked as she and Barriss walked up. 

While Luminara explained, an idea occurred to Anakin.

“Why don't our Padawans handle the supply mission?” he suggested, squeezing both the Padawan's shoulders. 

“Whatever needs to be done Master, I'm happy to help,” Ahsoka said as Barriss looked up at him suspiciously. 

“Very well,” Obi-wan agreed “Take a medical frigate, we'll rendezvous with you at Cestus after we've delivered Poggle to Coruscant for the journey to Dantooine.” 

They all nodded and the Masters headed off to see to the last minute details of their withdrawal.

“I'll go get a squad together,” Ahsoka said, before running off, leaving just him and Barriss there.

“Can I talk with you for a minute?” she asked him.

“Sure,” he nodded, and followed her as she walked away, leading them behind a small rock outcropping.

When they couldn't be seen by the others, she turned to him, arms crossed.

“Trying to get rid of us already?” she asked, a faint smile on her lips.

“What, no, of course not,” he said.

“Trying to get us off world before something else happens then?”

“No,” he said, but it was less convincing.

“I though we'd get some time together,” she sighed.

“We will,” he promised, pulling her into a hug “Once we finish up here we're getting some leave.”

“Really?” she asked, looking up at him hopefully.

“Yep, a week back on Coruscant where we can do whatever we like.”

“Sounds great,” she sighed, leaning back into him.

“Yeah,” he sighed as well, resting his head on hers. 

They stood like that for a minute, neither wanting to part, until finally, with great reluctance, they had to. 

“I better get going,” she said quietly, leaning up to give him a kiss.

He met her halfway and kissed her softly.

It lasted only a moment and they pulled apart with another sigh.

“It'll only be a day or two,” he said, tracing a finger over one of her tattoos.

“I know, I'm just...” she shook her head.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing, we can talk about it later,” she said, walking back around the rock.

He followed after her, quickly catching up and they walked side by side towards the ship she'd be using.

Ahsoka had already assembled a squad of troops and was waiting for them.

“All set, Master,” she said when they reached her.

“Good, have a safe trip and I'll see you both at Cestus,” he smiled, as they headed up the ramp.

“Alright, see ya,” Ahsoka said as she disappeared inside. Barriss paused at the top and gave him a small smile and a wave, before following Ahsoka inside.

He stepped back as the ramp was raised and moved to a safe distance as the transport prepared to lift off.

_”See you soon,”_ he said over their bond.

_”We'd better,”_ she replied, making him smirk, as the frigate fired up it's engines and lifted off the the ground.

The joys of Padawans, he thought to himself as it headed for space, something Obi-wan was missing out on. At that thought, an idea for payback occurred to him and his smirk changed to an evil grin.

He stood there, contemplating his idea and watching the ship till it disappeared and he felt it jump to hyperspace.

Then he turned and headed back towards where the Masters were still discussing their withdrawal, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief that the pair of them were off Geonosis.

  


* * *

  


Several hours later Barriss and Ahsoka were lying in their bunks, making use of the relative quiet on the ship to get some rest while they could.

Barriss lay there quietly, thinking of things she and Anakin could do during their leave and listening as Ahsoka tossed and turned, until she felt her staring at her.

“What?” she finally asked, eyes still closed.

“It's too quiet, feels wrong after the action of the last few days,” Ahsoka said.

“You should enjoy it while you can,” she replied.

“I can't, lets go eat,” She said.

Barriss sighed internally, but got up when Ahsoka did and followed her out the door and down to the small mess the frigate had.

They grabbed a tray each and took a table.

"Why do you hold the fork like that?" Barriss asked, watching as Ahsoka stabbed one of the ration cubes with her fork held in a reverse grip.

"It's more comfortable this way," Ahsoka said defensively.

“But it looks so awkward,” Barriss smirked “How can you eat like that?”

“Like this,” Ahsoka said, demonstrating in exaggerated slow motion and finished by licking her lips as if it was the most delicious thing she'd ever eaten.

“Alright, you've proved your point,” Barriss laughed, eating another forkful herself “Actually, I wanted to ask, how do you find the reverse grip when you're duelling?” 

"It's... difficult I admit, but my Master's a very good teacher and I'm getting better all the time," she said proudly "He says my advantage is that aside my attack angle being harder to see, most people have never fought someone using reverse grip before and will have no idea what to expect from me.”

“No, I wouldn't,” Barriss admitted “But I'd like to try some time, Anakin taught me a lot of what I know and it would be an interesting experience to fight someone trained in different style by him.”

“He taught you?” Ahsoka asked, surprised.

“Yep, when we were younger we used to spar all the time and I learned a lot from that, almost as much as Master Luminara has taught me.”

“Cool, did you ever beat him?” Ahsoka asked eagerly.

“A few times,” Barriss smiled.

“Wow,” Ahsoka said softly “I've never beaten him.”

“Well, he is one of the best duellists in the order.” Barriss said.

“Yeah, but you have,” she countered.

“Yes, but I have the advantage of knowing him better than pretty much anyone else.” Barriss replied “I know his style and what he's likely to do in any situation.”

“Hmm, maybe you could give me some pointers,” Ahsoka said, looking at her hopefully.

Barriss laughed.

“Sure, though it will have to wait till after this mission.”

“That's alright I-” Ahsoka began, but was interrupted when two troopers entered the mess.

“Evening, Ox, Edge, want to join us?” Ahsoka asked as they stepped inside.

They didn't respond, they just stared at them in a way that made them uneasy.

“Is something wrong, troopers?” Ahsoka asked cautiously.

Suddenly, they raised their blasters and opened fire. They barely got their lightsabers out in time to deflect the first volley before Ahsoka flipped over the table they'd been eating at and they took cover behind it.

“Troopers, stand down!” Ahsoka yelled, but they continued to fire at them.

Then the clones rushed their position.

Barriss leapt up and sliced through the nearest one's blaster while Ahsoka threw the other into him and knocked them into the wall.

Both clones collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

But they still approached them cautiously as two more troopers entered the mess, blasters raised.

They turned to them, lightsabers drawn and the clones raised their hands.

“What are you doing?” one asked, surprised.

“Those two just attacked us, what is going on?” Ahsoka demanded.

“Trap, do you know what happened to those troopers,” Barriss asked.

“Couldn't tell you Commander, I'm just as-” Trap replied.

“You're in charge of those men, did you order them to kill us,” She retorted.

“No sir, I did not,” Trap replied.

“But why would they do that?” Ahsoka asked, and Barriss heard a bit of the panic she felt beginning to fade in her tone.

“I don't know,” the other trooper said “We heard shots and came to see what was going on.”

“Yeah, look see, no guns,” Trap said, placing his on the ground. The other trooper did as well, and she felt the tension ease as her body relaxed and she turned off her lightsaber.

“This men wouldn't just attack us without reason,” Barriss said.

“My master had a clone betray him once, he was paid off by Ventress,” Ahsoka said.

“It can't be that simple, at least it didn't feel like that,” Barriss said, looking down at the unconscious men thoughtfully.

“Excuse me sir,” Trap said “We should make sure we still have control of the bridge.”

“Good idea,” Ahsoka said, as Barriss pulled out her comlink.

“Bridge, this is Commander Offee, respond,” she demanded. 

Nothing.

“We need to get up there and find out what's going on,” Ahsoka said when repeated tries got no response.

“But these two will be coming around anytime now, we can't just leave them,” Barriss argued.

“Havoc can watch them till we check on the bridge,” Trap suggested.

"Alright," Barriss agreed after a moment.

“Okay then, lets go,” Ahsoka said and ran out the door, closely followed by her and Trap.

They headed for the bridge, keeping an eye out for any other troopers and reached the corridor just as it's security field was activated.

“Someone doesn't want us going in there,” Ahsoka said as Barriss crouched in front of the controls.

“Anakin's taught me a few tricks, I'll see if I can override the controls,” she said, and noticed Trap move out of the corner of her eye.

She turned to face him as he raised his blaster.

She quickly drew her lightsaber and deflected his first shot before slicing through his weapon.

He dropped the pieces and lunged at her, a long green worm coming out of his mouth.

“Urgh, he's infected,” Barriss gasped, pushing him off her as the worm slithered out and onto her.

“Get it off me!” she cried, pulling at it as it slithered around her neck.

Ahsoka came to help and quickly pulled it off, before slicing it up with her lightsaber.

“Thanks,” she said with a shudder, brushing herself off, before turning to Trap, who seemed to have come back to himself.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, before closing his eyes and passing out.

Ahsoka knelt down beside him to check him.

“He'll be alright,” she said as they turned to look at the still wriggling remains of the worm.

“Urgh, what is that?” She asked.

“Looks like some kind of parasite, it must be controlling their actions” Barriss said.

“That explains a lot, Trap is my friend, he would never try to kill us.” Ahsoka said in a relieved voice “I wonder how they got onboard?”

“They must have infected the clones on Geonosis,” Barriss mused.

“We'll have to quarantine the ship,” Ahsoka said with a grimace, obviously not relishing the thought of being in quarantine for two weeks. 

“We should also contact Master Fisto and warn him about the situation,” Barriss added.

Ahsoka nodded.

“Lets go.”

They took off down the corridor, heading for the communications hub when they heard a very familiar noise coming from the cargo bay.

“Geonosian,” Ahsoka muttered, as they peaked through the door.

Inside, were most of the troopers onboard surrounding one who obviously hadn't been infected yet.

“We have to help him,” Ahsoka said as they watched.

Barriss shook her head.

“It's too late,” she said softly as one of the parasites crawled inside him.

Then from behind them several blaster bolts flew past them and they turned to face the new threat, deflecting several of the bolts back at the trooper before running into the cargo bay and shutting the door.

Unfortunately, all the other troopers began attacking them too, forcing them to hide amongst the cargo.

“Lets go for the vents,” Ahsoka shouted when they had a moments breathing room.

Barriss nodded and together they leapt up to the cat walk and she used the force to pull off the cover and they jumped inside and crawled to safety.

They moved quietly along as troopers ran about beneath them, trying to locate them.

When they reached a junction they stopped for a moment to catch their breath and Barriss began running through their options, picking the one that gave them the best chance of success.

“I'll go to the reactors and disable the thrusters, you head for the aft comm centre and alert Master Fisto, we have to stop the ship from reaching the medical station.” she said to Ahsoka.

“I don't know, Barriss,” Ahsoka said as they continued on their way “I think we should stay together.”

“As do I,” she replied “Unfortunately that's not a luxury we have right now, one of us must succeed Ahsoka.”

“Yes, of course,” Ahsoka sighed “Then I'll see you soon,” she said trying to remain hopeful and began crawling for the comm centre.

Barriss smiled as she left then turned in the direction of the reactors, making good time till she was outside the containment area and had to leave the vents.

She dropped down quietly and opened the doors.

So far so good, she thought to herself as she stepped through them and trigger a trap of some kind.

Pain laced her body as she was electrocuted her till she was gasping and on her knees.

From in front of her a trooper stepped out and she couldn't make out what he was saying but she could see the worm he was holding.

“No!” she screamed, trying to get away, but the shocking had left her too weak and as it slithered up her nose, she tried desperately to think of a way out before everything went black.

  


* * *

  


Anakin paced back and forth on the bridge of the Negotiator, trying to keep at bay the worry that building with every minute that Ahsoka and Barriss were out of contact.

Rex was continuing to attempt to contact them but so far he'd had no luck and he couldn't even talk to Obi-wan or Luminara to distract himself as they were off somewhere doing something.

“Sir!” Rex called out a minute later “I have Ahsoka on the line.”

He rushed over to see Ahsoka face on the comm screen and felt some of his worry dissipate at sight of her safe and well.

“Ahsoka, what's going on? Are you okay?” he asked.

_“Well... not exactly,”_ she said and the worry returned.

“What's wrong?” he asked, dreading the answer.

_“Some kind of parasitic worm has gotten onboard and Barriss and I are the only ones not infected, I've warned Master Fisto and Barriss has gone to disable the engines but... I don't know what else to do,”_ she admitted, some of her worry seeping into her voice.

“Don't worry Ahsoka, we'll figure something out, just make sure you have a wrist comm on you, I'm going to interrogate Poggle, find Barriss and stick together till we get some answers.”

_“Yes Master,”_ she nodded, ending the call.

He stared at the blank screen for a moment, feeling the dread and anger rise up again at the thought of them both in danger again.

Then he straightened and began heading for the prison cells, determined to get information out of Poggle, whatever it took.

Rex made to follow him, but he waved him off, not wanting any witnesses for what he was about to do.

He reached the cell block and nodded to the two troopers standing guard as he approached Poggle's cell.

“Leave us,” he ordered, deactivating the ray shield.

They nodded and left the prison and he stepped inside the cell.

“You will answer my questions,” he demanded, putting as much force pressure as he dared on Poggle's mind.

Poggle replied with something that sounded mocking and the protocol droid with him translated.

“Your feeble mind tricks do not work on Geonosians,” the droid said “The other Jedi have already discovered this.”

“Mind tricks,” he said thoughtfully, turning away as if in defeat “I don't need mind tricks to get you to talk,” he retorted, turning back around and punching Poggle out of his chair, throwing him into the wall.

“I will never talk, Jedi,” Poggle spat, via the droid.

“We'll see about that,” he snarled, grabbing Poggle with the force and beginning to choke him, imagining Barriss and Ahsoka in danger as he watched the bug struggle.

It didn't take long for him to break and confess that extreme cold killed the worms and he dropped him to the floor in disgust.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” he said sarcastically as he left the cell and re-engaged the ray shield, heading for the bridge.

When he reached it, Obi-wan, Luminara and Ki-Adi were back and apparently waiting for him.

“I made contact with Ahsoka,” he said as he reached them and moved to a comms console.

“What's their status?” Obi-wan asked.

“Geonosian parasites have infected their crew.” he said tersely, powering up the comm unit.

“How did they get onboard?” Obi-wan asked.

“Poggle said that they must have needed a new host after the Queen died,” he answered, attempting to contact Ahsoka again.

“You interrogated Poggle?” Luminara asked, surprised.

“I did,” he said, turning around “There wasn't time to get you.”

“How did you get him to talk?” Ki-Adi asked.

“Look all that matters is that he told me how to stop the worms.”

“Oh? And how is that?” Obi-wan asked curiously.

“They can't survive the cold,” he said, finally connecting with Ahsoka.

_“This is Ahsoka, come in.”_

“Ahsoka, listen to me, the worms are affected by the cold,” he told her.

_“Cold? That's how we stop them,”_

“Yes, rupture the cooling system,” he continued, but got no response.

“Did you hear me? Rupture the coolant system,” he repeated a little desperately.

_“Coolant system, got it,”_ she answered this time.

“Good, and how's Barriss?” he asked, just wanting to hear her voice and know she was alright.

_“Um, they got her Master, she's infected,”_ she said sadly, and he froze as she ended the call, all sorts of feelings building up inside him, which must have been concerning because Luminara put a hand on his shoulder and forced some calm on him.

“I know you're worried but they'll be alright,” she said softly, looking him sternly in the eye “You need to keep it together though, otherwise you'll be no good to either of them.”

He nodded stiffly, then turned abruptly and left the bridge, needing to find something to vent his feelings on.

  


* * *

  


It was the most disturbing thing Barriss had ever experienced. Being able to see and feel what her body was doing, but have no control over it as she stalked through the corridors of the ship with a sinking feeling that she knew what the worms were looking for.

Her fears were confirmed when she ambushed Ahsoka in the communications room where they fought for a bit till Ahsoka managed to escape down one of the corridors.

She pursued her and they fought along one of the hallways till Ahsoka got a good kick in and knocked her over and by the time she'd recovered had disappeared.

She silently cheered for her friend as her body resumed the hunt.

Not long after that, freezing cold air began to fill the corridors, quickly numbing her extremities as she searched for Ahsoka , finally cornering her in the cockpit where they fought for a while and at one point she could have made a killing blow against Ahsoka so she put all her will power into trying to stop herself, which slowed her body down enough for Ahsoka to get out of the situation.

And now that she knew she could affect it, she put all her energy into trying to regain control, slowing herself down enough to give Ahsoka the advantage, which Ahsoka used to push her back until the cold seemed to affect the worm that had infected her, sending her to her knees and making it crawl out of her mouth, giving her back some control. 

“Help me, Ahsoka,” she managed to choke out, and Ahsoka swung her lightsaber, cutting the worm in half.

She collapsed, shivering, in relief as she felt full control return and Ahsoka caught her.

“Thank you,” she muttered weakly, before exhaustion overcame her and she passed out.

  


* * *

  


The shuttle ride from the Negotiator to the medical station seemed to take forever, Anakin thought as he waited impatiently for them to dock, trying unsuccessfully not to fidget. 

As soon as their shuttle landed, he unfastened his restraints and was down the ramp before it had finished lowering,

He raced past all the hanger personal, not caring how undignified it looked as he headed for the medbay.

He slowed down when he reached the medbay doors and took a steadying breath before stepping inside.

They were both lying on beds, asleep, looking tired but unharmed, aside from some minor frostbite on their hands and faces and he let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding as he walked over to them. 

He approached them quietly and sat down beside Barriss, who stirred slightly but didn't wake.

“I'm so sorry,” he whispered, gently running his knuckles down her cheek, which she nuzzled into a bit but remained asleep.

He sat there for a while, watching her, just reassuring himself that she was alright, then moved to sit beside Ahsoka.

He'd barely sat down when Ahsoka began to squirm, obviously having a nightmare of some kind.. Then she shot upright with a muffled scream, looking frantically around, gasping for breath.

“It's alright Ahsoka, you're safe,” he said, putting an arm around her as she looked up at him with wide eyes. 

“It's alright,”he said again “It's over.”

She let out a gasp and leaned against him for a moment before lying back down.

“Did they get them all? Did they stop the worms?” she asked, looking worriedly at him.

“Yes, thanks to you the situation was very easy to contain, most of them were already dead and the few survivors put up very little resistance. The men should all make full recoveries.” 

“That's good,” she said quietly.

“You did very well,” he said quietly “I'm so proud of you.”

“Thanks Master,” she smiled, before yawning.

“Looks like you need more sleep,” he said, smiling slightly.

“No I'm-” she began, but was interrupted by another yawn.

“I'll be here,” he promised.

“You promise?” she said, closing her eyes.

“Yes,” he said, reaching out and squeezing her hand.

“Good,” she said softly, already half asleep.

Within a minute, she was snoring softly and he sat there for another ten minutes just to make sure she really was asleep, before quietly getting up and moving back over to Barriss's bed.

Not long after Barriss began to stir, scrunching up her eyes in the way he found so cute before turning to look at him.

“Hey,” he said, trying to smile, but came out as more of grimace.

“Hey,” she croaked, her throat dry from lack of water and the cool, dry air of the medcentre.

“How're you feeling?” he asked, handing her a cup of water from the table beside the bed.

“Alright, what happened? Why do you look so worried?” she asked, sitting up and taking a sip from the cup.

“You don't remember?” he asked with concern.

“I remember we were on a medical mission and then...” she trailed off, her face paling “Oh no” she gasped, “Is Ahsoka alright?” 

“Yes, she's fine. See?” he said, leaning back so she could see Ahsoka on the bed next to hers.

Barriss sighed in relief and lay back down again.

“Why are you looking so guilty then?” she asked.

“It's my fault, if I hadn't assigned you to that mission none of this would have happened.”

She sat up again and pulled him closer to the bed.

“No, if you hadn't assigned us, things would have gone very differently and they might have spread through the galaxy.” she said, squeezing his hands.

He though about that for a moment, then smiled.

“I guess you're right, my good thinking did save the galaxy.”

Barriss groaned and leaned against his chest.

“Not one for modesty are you?”

_”That's why you love me”_ he said over their bond.

“True,” she mumbled, leaning back and pulling him with her, till he was half sitting on the bed and kissing him softly before snuggling into him.

“Barriss!” he whispered “Someone might see us.”

“So?” she said “I almost died today or whenever it was and I'm tired of not being able to show I love you.” 

He didn't know how to respond to that, but he felt the same way so he simply wrapped his arms around her and held her close, mindful of her frostbite. 

“That was the worst thing I've ever felt,” she whispered “Being able to see and feel everything that was happening but having no control over myself,” she shuddered and he held her more tightly.

“Well, it's over now,” he said, rubbing small circles on back “And they'll never be a threat again,” he promised.

“Good,” she said, letting out contented sigh as she relaxed into him.

They sat there for a while, just enjoying being close again. Then he felt a sense of amusement coming from her.

“What?” he asked, tilting his head to look at her.

“Just thinking, it's normally you in the hospital and me sitting worried beside you,” she smiled.

“Ah, yes. It's a nice change,” he smiled, and chuckled when she turned to look up at him.

“Not that you're in here, but that it's not me for once,” he said.

“Mmm, yeah it is nice,” she said sleepily.

A minute later, she was asleep again, snoring softly against his chest.

He smiled softly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, before shifting on the bed to make himself more comfortable and lying back, feeling tired as well after everything that had happened over the last few days.

His eyes closed almost against his will and before he knew it, he was asleep too.

  


* * *

  


When Barriss woke the next morning, Anakin was gone. She looked around, panicked for a moment, till she spotted him sitting beside Ahsoka's bed, talking quietly with her.

They must have felt her brief panic, because they both look over at her.

“Ah, you're finally awake,” Anakin smiled, though his eyes were questioning.

She gave a small shake of her head and returned Ahsoka's smile.

They talked for a bit, chatting about anything other than what had happened, until Switcher walked in with Kix and Fives.

Switcher sighed dramatically as he reached them and looked over her file with a critical eye.

“Fives insisted on coming,” Kix said drily when they reached Ahsoka's bed.

“Had to make sure my favourite Commander is okay,” he said with a smile as he sat down beside her.

“Thanks,” she smiled, as Kix began reading over her file too.

“They've cleared you as fit for active duty,” he said suspiciously.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she said, struggling not to roll her eyes. 

Switcher muttered a few things about that statement, and Kix laughed.

“Compared to these two she's a model patient,” he said, indicating Anakin and Ahsoka.

“I'm good,” Ahsoka muttered, while Anakin mock glared at Kix.

“Yeah Switcher, you should be grateful,” Barriss smirked at the medic. 

Switcher just groaned and continued what he was doing, while Barriss watched Fives and Ahsoka's actions with interest.

Fives had her left hand in both of his and by the looks it was trying to warm it up while they chatted about the amount of droids they'd killed on Geonosis and how many they'd probably killed but couldn't prove.

Mid way through the discussion he switched to her right hand and repeated his earlier actions while Ahsoka continued to describe their destruction of the droid factory.

It was very cute, she thought, returning her gaze to Anakin, who'd stepped back to give the medics room to move, with a smile on her face.

Her caught her gaze and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

_“Nothing,”_ she said over their bond and he nodded as Switcher spoke.

“Alright, you're clear,” he said reluctantly“Just take it easy, okay,” he added.

“I'll do my best, thank you,” she said, climbing out of the bed and stretching.

Switcher just snorted and started tidying up the bay she'd been in.

“Want to take a walk while we wait for them?” Anakin asked, nodding at Ahsoka, who was still being tended to by Kix and Fives.

“Sure,” she said and followed Anakin as he headed for the door, neither noticing that Ahsoka watched them walk out, then glanced at Fives, who nodded and followed them out.

They headed away from the medbay, towards an area they couldn't sense anyone in, talking idly until they were alone.

Then she turned to him as his arms snaked around her, wrapping hers around him as well and pulling herself up to his height, kissing him passionately.

They were both breathless when they broke apart and grinning broadly.

“I've missed that,” he said softly, leaning down to kiss her again, but he stopped, when they both sensed someone approaching.

Anakin smiled when he recognised the force signature, putting a finger to his lips and leaning back against the corridor wall.

She followed suit and they waited for the person to appear.

It wasn't long before quiet footsteps approached their position, stopping at the corner they were watching.

After a minute of silence, a head slowly edged around the corner and she recognised it as belonging to Fives. 

His eyes widened in surprise at finding them watching him and he quickly pulled back.

There was a moment of quiet, then he stepped around the corner, smiling broadly.

“Hey General, fancy meeting you here,” he said innocently and she couldn't help smiling at his nerve.

'Yes, I was just thinking the same thing Fives,” he replied, with a hint of amusement.

“Yes, well, I should be going,” Fives said and turned and marched back around the corner.

When his footsteps had faded she let out a snort and Anakin's grin widened.

“They might suspect us,” he said, his expression sobering.

“Hmm... You think so?” she asked.

“Yeah, anyway, I had an idea for what we can do to Obi-wan,” he smirked.

“Oh really?” she asked, a smile spreading across her face.

“Yeah, I was thinking since he gave me a Padawan, we should return the favour.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that,” she said with a smirk.

“Yeah, of course we need to do it properly, carefully select a Padawan that will be suitable for him and all that.”

“Of course,” she agreed “And our upcoming leave will be the perfect time to do it.”

“Yep,” he smirked.

After another few minutes of discussing their options for getting Obi-wan a Padawan, in which they agreed they should give him at least a bit of warning, they headed back to the medbay to find Ahsoka and Fives waiting for them and Kix and Switcher gone. 

They were both looking at a holo image, laughing and she had a sinking feeling inside her as they approached them and she made out a pair of bright pink lips.

“Hey,” Ahsoka said, with a huge smile on her face “Switcher was just showing us some holos.”

“I can see that,” she sighed, as Ahsoka turned the holo and showed her an image of her giving a briefing with bright pink lips.

Anakin was grinning too, and it only widened when she gave him a long suffering look.

“Come on, let's go get something to eat,” he suggested.

They agreed and all went down to the mess, where they piled up their trays with better than usual rations and spent the next couple of hours exchanging stories with each other and Rex and Echo when they came and joined them too.

Obi-wan and Luminara also came down as well and talk turned to their upcoming leave as Fives and Echo started a whispered conversation with Ahsoka before getting up and leaving.

“And Senator Amidala's invited us for dinner one night as well,” Luminara continued from where she'd left off.

Barriss noticed Rex straighten slightly and nudged Anakin, nodding at Rex.

He grinned and turned back to Luminara.

“And I'm sure she'd love it if Rex joined us too,” he said with a wink.

Luminara raised an eyebrow and turned to Rex who had suddenly found the table very interesting.

“Yes, you have to join us,” she said with a smile.

Rex nodded while still looking at the table.

“Yes, it would be nice to catch up with her again,” he muttered, ears turning red.

Obi-wan spared him by changing the subject.

“Any other plans for our leave?” he asked.

“Not really,” Anakin said “But you should really look at getting another Padawan, you must be lonely when me and Ahsoka aren't around.”

“Haha, no thanks, you were enough for me,” Obi-wan snorted.

“You can get a well behaved one this time,” Anakin grinned “Tell you what,” he continued “Leave it to me, I'll handle everything.”

“Sure,” Obi-wan said sarcastically “Be my guest.”

"Alright then," Anakin smiled.

After another half hour of idle chatting they decided to call it a day and returned to their ships, ready to head back to Coruscant.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their return to Coruscant, Barriss and Anakin put their plan into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I wanted to draft out the next section before I went any further.

“Ah, It's good to be back,” Anakin sighed as their gunship landed at the temple and he stepped out into the hanger.

“Yes, it is,” Obi-wan agreed, stepping out with Luminara, Barriss and Ahsoka.

“Yeah,” Barriss said. “I'm looking forward to a few days where I don't have to fight to survive.”

“I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing bath,” Luminara sighed, as they left the hanger.

“Me too,” Obi-wan smirked, while Barriss and Anakin made disgusted noises.

“What?” Ahsoka asked. “At least they’re taking baths, unlike _someone_.” 

Anakin shot a glance at Barriss, who rolled her eyes, and he decided to just ignore his Padawan.

“What time are we suppose to be at Padmé's?” Anakin asked, glancing at his chrono. 

“Six,” Luminara answered. “And don't forget you need to pick up Rex on your way.”

“I won't,” he promised. “We'll meet you there, there's a few things Barriss and I need to do before hand.”

“Alright, just don't be late,” Obi-wan said, walking off with Luminara.

“When have I ever been late?” Anakin retorted with a grin.

“I'll send you the list,” Obi-wan shot back.

Anakin shook his head, muttering quietly to himself, then turned to Barriss.

“Shall we get going then? We'll need a few hours at least to get an idea of what we're looking for.”

“Yep, I just want to drop my bag off at my quarters,” Barriss said.

“Alright, I should do the same,” Anakin said, as they boarded the lift and Barriss pressed the button for the Master/Padawan quarters level.

“Can I come too?” Ahsoka asked, looking at them hopefully.

Anakin raised an eyebrow at Barriss, who sent him a mental shrug back.

"Sure, if there's nothing else you want to do," he said.

“No, not really,” Ahsoka smiled.

“Okay then,” Barriss said as the lift stopped and they stepped out. “Meet back here in twenty minutes, I need to change my robes, and you should probably do the same,” she added with a smirk, brushing a hand over the front of his tunic, which was battle stained and still had traces of Geonosian dust on it.

“Probably a good idea,” he admitted.

“Yeah,” Ahsoka agreed. “And maybe a shower too.”

“Or at least brush your hair,” Barriss teased.

“Very funny,” he muttered, walking off down the hall, to the sound of their giggles.

After getting a change of clothes, and brushing his hair, they met back at the lift, before descending to the Initiate halls.

“What are we doing exactly?” Ahsoka asked as the lift stopped again and they got out.

Barriss glanced at him and he shrugged and nodded, so she and turned to Ahsoka.

“We're here to choose a new Padawan for Obi-wan,” Barriss said, with a hint of a grin.

“What? I thought you were joking,” Ahsoka said, looking at Anakin.

“So does he,” Anakin snorted.

“Ahh,” Ahsoka grinned, as they stopped outside one of the training halls.

“Yes,” Barriss smiled, pulling out a datapad. “I have a list of initiates that are the right age to become Padawans, most of them are in the Wolf clan, which is training inside at the moment.”

“Well, lets take a look then,” Anakin said and led the way inside. 

Inside, a class of older initiates were running through a series of saber drills, Soresu by the looks of it.

The Master teaching them looked over as they entered.

“Knight Skywalker,” the Master nodded.

“Master Harlon, don't mind us, we're just going to observe if you don't mind.”

“Not at all,” Master Harlon replied, returning to his teaching.

They took seats in one of the stands and watched as the initiates began another set of drills.

“So, what are we looking for?” Ahsoka asked and after a moment's thought he responded.

“One with a similar temperament to Obi-wan, quiet, but steady, basically someone the opposite of me,” he grinned. 

“So like Barriss?” Ahsoka asked.

“A little bit,” he smirked. “But less... Barriss, if you know what I mean.”

“Not really,” Ahsoka replied, as Barriss said, _”No, what do you mean?”_ , over their bond.

“Less perfect,” he smirked, as he sent an impression of everything Barriss meant to him across their bond. She blushed faintly, but otherwise kept her composure.

“You mean perfectionistic?” Ahsoka asked.

“Yes” Anakin lied. 

“Pay attention,” Barriss muttered, a ghost of a smile on her face.

Ahsoka nodded and they began watching in earnest, with Barriss taking notes on her data pad.

The Initiates weren't too bad, Anakin thought half an hour later, as they worked through some of the more advanced moves of Soresu. Of course, some were better than others, which Barriss made a note of and others were not so good.

That in itself wasn't a deciding factor, but reading through the teachers reports helped them decide one way or the other.

"What about that Twi'lek boy?" he asked quietly, watching him run through a series of moves with great skill.  
"Sammo Quid?" Barriss said, bringing up his file. "He's good at combat related skills, but rather lacking in the diplomacy department, one of his teachers said a Gundark could give him lessons in manners.” she smirked. 

“Ahh, right, scratch him then,” Anakin said, returning his attention to the rest of the class.

“What about her?” Ahsoka asked not long after, indicating a Pantoran girl at the back of the group.

Anakin and Barriss both looked over at her.

“She's good,” he said after a moment, watching her gracefully preform the moves of the current set.

“Yes, Anni Chanti is her name,” Barriss said, reading through her file. “Her teachers say she's quiet, very diplomatic and appears to get on well with everyone.”

“Sounds like a contender then,” Anakin said, and Barriss and Ahsoka agreed.

They spent the another couple of hours watching them practice, in which they added four more names to their list. Kalami Darku, a red Zabrak boy who was very good at duelling, Caleb Dume, a small human boy who was also a good duellist, Mera Fralone, a human girl that wasn’t the best fighter but showed promise as a healer and Triden Garson, a Rodian boy who was reasonable at most things and had scored very highly in diplomacy skills. 

“I think that's enough for today,” Anakin said, glancing at his chrono. “We need to get ready for tonight soon.”

“Good idea,” Barriss agreed, putting away her datapad. “I think we've got a good selection of choices, we can narrow it down tomorrow.”

They left the training hall and returned to the living quarters level.

“We'll meet you in the hanger,” Anakin said, as Barriss left to change.

“Alright,” she agreed.

Then he and Ahsoka went into their quarters and Ahsoka disappeared into her room to get dressed, while he decided it was probably best if he had a shower first.

Once that was done, he put on the cleanest set of robes he had and went to wait for Ahsoka in the living room.

She came out not long after wearing exactly the same thing she'd been wearing earlier.

“Is that all you've got?” he asked.

“No, I have my Jedi robes too, but they're uncomfortable,” she replied.

“You need to go clothes shopping then, you need to have at least four different sets of clothes,” he said, grabbing his bag and heading for the door.

“Say's the guy who's worn the same thing for as long as I've know him,” she retorted.

“At least I have four or five sets of this,” he replied, leaving their apartment. “Oh, and you haven't seen my dress robes yet,” he called from outside.

“Dress robes?” she scoffed. “What are they, a cleaner set of what you're wearing?”

“You'll see someday I'm sure.” he said.

He heard Ahsoka muttering as she followed him out and smiled as they entered the lift and pressed the button for the hanger.

Barriss was waiting for them already, wearing a more formal version of her usual robes.

“That looks nice,” Anakin commented, going to borrow a speeder.

“Yeah, it does,” Ahsoka agreed, climbing in the back seat of the one he'd chosen.

“Thank you,” Barriss said with a smile, climbing into the front seat. 

After a quick preflight check, Anakin backed them out of the parking space, before racing out of the hanger, humming Skyway to the Danger Zone to himself as he set a course for the 501st barracks.

Rex was waiting outside the barracks, dressed in his formal uniform, a feeling of almost excitement radiating off him.

They pulled up beside him and he climbed in next to Ahsoka.

“Nice suit,” she said as he strapped himself in.

“Thank you Commander,” he replied.

“Rex, this is an evening of relaxation, no ranks,” Anakin admonished him teasingly.

“Yes Sir,” Rex said, deadpan and Ahsoka laughed. 

Anakin just sighed and lifted off, flying in the direction of Republica 500 through the heavy traffic.

The flight over took about twenty-five minutes, which was faster than expected thanks to Anakin’s flying. 

Obi-wan's bright green speeder was already parked at her private landing pad when they arrived and they nosed in beside it.

They climbed out as Padmé appeared on the landing pad.

“Welcome,” Padmé smiled when they reached her. “I’m glad you could come.” 

“Wouldn't miss it,” Anakin said, giving her a quick hug.

She did the same to Barriss and Ahsoka when they came in and he paused to see what Rex did, unsure as to what their relationship actually was.

Rex marched up, looking totally at ease and took her hand.

“A pleasure to see you again, Senator,” he said, softly kissing her hand.

“You too, Captain,” she said, with a different sort of smile and the faintest of blushes.

“Come in,” she added a moment later. “You've probably already noticed that Obi-wan and Luminara have arrived.”

“Yeah, hard to miss that green speeder,” Anakin smirked.

Ahsoka snorted as they stepped inside to find Obi-wan and Luminara sitting on Padmé's sofa, while Threepio served them drinks.

“Master Ani!” Threepio cried, sounding as delighted as a droid could.

“Hello Threepio,” Anakin said. “How's life treating you.”

“Exceptionally well, why it was only last week that-” the droid began, but Padmé cut him off.

“When did the roast need to come out?” she asked him.

“The roast, oh my!” Threepio said, walking off as fast as his legs could carry him.

“Still talks you to death,” Anakin smirked.

“Yep,” Padmé sighed. “Anyway, how've you all been, it's been so long since I've seen any of you.” she asked.

While they filled her in on their recent adventures, an incredibly appealing aroma began wafting from the kitchen.

“What is that?” Ahsoka sighed, sniffing the air. 

“Roast Nuna, I haven't had it in a while and I thought it would be a nice treat for you all after military rations.”

“I'll say,” Ahsoka said as Threepio pushed out a hover cart laden with food and a large roast in the middle.

They helped him place everything on the table, then they took their seats.

Rex made to sit next to him and Ahsoka, but he pushed Rex towards the seat next to Padmé with a wink at her.

She smiled back and started describing all the dishes to Rex as the rest of them took their seats. Luminara and Obi-wan on the same side as Rex, while he took the seat next to Barriss and Ahsoka took the one on his other side.

Then they dug in and no one spoke for a while as they enjoyed the delicious food after months on ration cubes and paste.

Eventually, Obi-wan broke the silence.

“An excellent meal Padmé, the nicest I've had for a long time.”

“Thank you,” Padmé smiled.

“Reminds me of that banquette we attended on Harleem a few years back,” Obi-wan said with a smirk at Anakin.

“The one with those priestesses?” Anakin snorted.

“Yeah, that's the one,” Obi-wan grinned.

“Priestesses?” Luminara and Barriss asked, looking at them suspiciously.

“Yeah, but not like you're imagining,” Anakin said soothingly. “They were all about a hundred years old with more wrinkles than Master Yoda.” he added with a laugh, reaching for his wine glass.

“Didn't stop them though,” Obi-wan smirked. “As I recall the one in blue was very interested in you.”

Anakin choked on the wine he'd just taken a sip of and Barriss thumped him on the back, a little harder than necessary.

“Thanks,” he muttered, before focusing his attention back on Obi-wan.

“Yeah, but I wasn't the one who jumped out the window to escape my crowd of _admirers_ ,” he replied with a grin.

“I was merely demonstrating the art of evasion,” Obi-wan replied airily.

“Sounds like what you said after that mission we had on Kashyyyk Master,” Barriss put in. “Remember that overly friendly Wookiee?” She said with a laugh.

“Don't remind me,” Luminara sighed. “I don't think my ribs ever recovered.”

“Pretty sure I have a holo of it somewhere too,” Barriss went on.

“I'd like to see that,” Obi-wan smiled.

“Me too,” Ahsoka added, who had been watching the exchange with a delighted expression on her face.

“I'll find it when we get back,” Barriss promised, completely ignoring Luminara's narrow eyed look at her.

After that, the conversation broke up in a couple of smaller ones until desert arrived and once that was finished, they moved to her lounge and relaxed on the sofas.

Padmé and Rex were sitting quite close together and Anakin found it funny to watch Ahsoka sneaking glances at them, and nudged Barriss, who was sitting beside him again.

She looked at Ahsoka and smiled.

_“Taking notes maybe?”_ she said with a mental smirk.

_“I hope not,”_ he said with a frown.

_“Relax,”_ she told him. _“She was bound to get curious at some point, even if she hasn't realised we don't exactly follow the code.”_

_“I suppose,”_ he sighed.

Barriss didn't respond, instead she just patted his arm.

Obi-wan and Luminara weren't exactly trying to hide that they were together either, and if Ahsoka had been paying attention she would have definitely suspected something, but she was too busy pretending not to be watching Rex and Padmé. 

He sighed again, wondering who had caught her eye, then shook his head, tonight wasn't the night to worry about it.

So instead, he placed his hand on top of Barriss's and gave it a squeeze.

She smiled, leaning into him slightly and they returned their attention to the others.

After another couple of hours just talking, it was time to leave.

As they were getting ready to say goodbye, Anakin noticed Rex and Padmé talking quietly in one corner, then Rex smiled and nodded and came over to them.

“If you don't mind General, I'll make my own way back,” Rex told him when he reached them. “The barracks is out of your way and... yeah,” he trailed off. “I'll manage, it's a nice night for a walk.” 

“That's fine Rex,” Anakin smirked, heading for the door. “Have fun.”

“Yes Sir,” he said drily, before returning to Padmé, a sense of anticipation building between them.

Then Padmé walked them out and they said goodnight to her before boarding their speeder, telling Obi-wan and Luminara they'd see them back at the temple.

He powered it up and set a course back to the temple.

'Why isn't Rex coming with us?” Ahsoka asked from the back seat.

He and Barriss glanced at each other.

“He said he felt like walking back,” Anakin said after a moment.

“But it's miles away,” Ahsoka said.

Anakin shrugged.

“That's what he said,” he replied.

“I think he was lying,” she said, more to herself than them, making them both smirk.

“Well, whatever his reasons, he's free to do as he wishes,” Anakin said.

“Yeah, I know,” Ahsoka sighed.

Anakin glanced at her in the rear view mirror but didn't say anything, there was obviously something on her mind, but one of the many things they had in common was that no amount of pressure would make them reveal things before they wanted to, so he just let her be, she'd tell him eventually.

The rest of the trip was made in silence and when they reached the temple Ahsoka still hadn't said anything else and as they headed for their quarters, he resolved to ask her about it in the morning.

As they reached their floor, Barriss's comm chimed.

“It's my Master,” She said looking at the message. “She says she won't be back tonight and that I'll our quarters to myself,” she said glumly.

“What's wrong?” Ahsoka asked, noticing her less than enthusiastic reaction.

Barriss hesitated for a moment before responding.

“After everything that's happened lately, I'd... rather not be alone,” she admitted.

“Yeah, me either,” Ahsoka said. “You could stay with us, like those sleep overs I've seen in...” she trailed off, blushing slightly.

“Hmm... We'll have to ask your Master,” Barriss smirked, glancing at Anakin.

“Please,” Ahsoka said, turning to him. “I can sleep on a bed roll.”

“I don't see why not,” he said after a moment of pretend thought.

“Great!” Ahsoka grinned.

“I'll just get some stuff from my room then come I'll be over,” Barriss said, before walking off.

  


* * *

  


“Are you sure you don't want the bed?” Ahsoka asked, an hour later as they got ready for bed.

“Yeah, it's fine,” Barriss replied. “I actually prefer sleeping on these things now,” she added, indicating the bed roll that was laid out beside Ahsoka's bed, bringing back memories of the times she and Anakin had camped out in one of their Master's living rooms. 

“Alright then,” Ahsoka said and climbed into bed.

Barriss did the same and used the force to switch off the lights.

“Goodnight,” Ahsoka said.

“Goodnight Ahsoka,” Barriss replied.

It was quiet for while, but Ahsoka had the feeling about her that she usually had when she really wanted to ask something, so Barriss lay there and waited.

She wasn't disappointed. Barely five minutes later, she heard Ahsoka roll over to face her and could just make out her silhouette on the edge of the bed.

“Barriss?” she said.

“Yes?” Barriss asked, a smile forming on her face.

Ahsoka was quiet for a while and Barriss was beginning to think she wasn't going to say anything after all when she finally spoke.

“Rex and Padmé make a nice couple don't they,” she said quietly.

“Yes,” Barriss agreed, wondering what she was getting at.

She was silent again for a while.

“Did you ever... Have attachments,” she asked, some time after.

Ahh, Barriss thought. 

“What do you mean?” she asked to buy herself some thinking time.

“I know it's against the code but... have you ever had feelings for someone, like as more than a friend?” Ahsoka asked.

“Ahh,” she said aloud, wondering how best to phrase her answer.

“I...” she began, but trailed off, wondering how much to say.

“Only for one person,” she said softly.

“Really!?” Ahsoka said, sounding surprised.

“Yes,” Barriss smiled. “What about you.”

“I... do,” she said after a moment. “I know it's wrong,” she added quickly, “But I just... can't help it.”

“It's alright,” Barriss said. “It's part of life and... just between you and me, I don't agree with that part of the code.”

There was a jolt of shock from Ahsoka and Barriss rolled over to face her.

“You alright?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah, I just... wasn't expecting you to say something like that, you seemed like one who would stick to the code.”

“You do remember that Anakin is my best friend right?” Barriss smirked.

“Ahh, right, how could I forget,” Ahsoka said and Barriss heard her slap her forehead.

“Yes, so you'd be surprised at some of my opinions on certain topics,” Barriss added.

“Hmm,” Ahsoka said.

Then there was quiet for a while again.

“What did you do about your feelings?” Ahsoka asked, just when Barriss thought she'd drifted off.

“I told him,” she said.

“And?” Ahsoka asked eagerly.

“He returned them,” she said softly.

“Wow, so now you're...” Ahsoka trailed off, but she could see her hand waving around.

“Maybe,” Barriss said.

“So you are,” Ahsoka said with a grin. “Is it anyone I know?”

“I'm not going to tell you,” Barriss said, rolling over and pulling the covers up over her head. “Now get some sleep, we've got a busy day tomorrow.”

“Does Anakin know who it is?”

“Go to sleep, Ahsoka.”

“I'm gonna ask him,” Ahsoka teased.

“If you do, I'll tell Fives you like him,” Barriss stated with a smirk.

That silenced her.

“How did you know?” she asked quietly.

“You're not exactly subtle when you're around him, it wasn't too hard to guess.” Barriss said.

“Oh,” she said softly.

“Yes, but don't worry, I won't tell anyone,” Barriss assured her. 

“Thanks.”

They were quiet again and Barriss thought she might finally get some sleep, when she felt amusement building in Ahsoka again.

“So, who are you in love with?”

Barriss groaned.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin and Barriss decide who will become Obi-wan's next Padawan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Lilrexsoka, who came up with Anni Chanti for me.

At breakfast the next morning, Anakin detected an unusual note of tension between Barriss and Ahsoka, which he found rather odd, especially with the way Ahsoka kept glancing at him, then at Barriss, who smirked faintly each time Ahsoka did and raised an eyebrow the way she did whenever she was daring him to try something.

After another ten minutes of this, he put his fork down and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

“Alright, what's going on?” he asked, glancing between them.

“Nothing Master,” Ahsoka said, staring down at her food.

He raised an eyebrow and shot Barriss a glance.

She merely shrugged and said nothing.

 _“What is it?”_ he asked again, this time over their bond.

 _“Just something between Ahsoka and I,”_ she replied, with a hint of a grin.

He sighed, but didn't press any further and they finished the rest of their breakfast in silence.

“So, what are we doing today?” Ahsoka asked after they'd cleared up.

“Back to observing the Initiates and hopefully making a decision on which one to choose,” Anakin answered.

“Okay,” Ahsoka nodded, following him and Barriss out the door.

They returned to the training halls to find the Initiates already there, working through a warm up routine.

They said hello to the Master teaching them, then took seats in the stands again.

About an hour into their observations, they were able to shorten their list when Triden Garson started a fight with one of the other Initiates after he accidentality bumped into him and though the Master quickly resolved it, it showed he had a quick temper that was easily provoked.

Not long after that, Master Biliaba walked in, glanced around, spotted them and came over.

“Good morning Master Biliaba,” Anakin said, giving her a small bow from his seat.

“Skywalker, Padawan's,” she nodded. “What brings you down here this morning? You already have a Padawan, not looking for a replacement are you?” she added with a teasing smile.

“No,” he smiled, patting Ahsoka on the back soothingly, knowing she was still a bit touchy about that subject. “We're actually here to find a Padawan for Obi-wan.”

“Ahh,” she said. “Judging by your expressions, he doesn't know this.”

“Nope,” he smirked.

“Who are you looking at?” she asked.

“At the moment, Anni Chanti, Kalami Darku, Caleb Dume and Mera Fralone,” he replied.

“Hmm, some good options,” Master Biliaba said. “Though keep your hands off Dume, he's mine,” she added with a smirk.

“Alright,” he nodded as she walked away and Barriss removed him from their list.

“That just leaves Anni, Kalami and Mera then,” she said.

“Shouldn't take too long to decide then,” Ahsoka said.

Half an hour later, they took Mera off their list, leaving just Anni and Kalami left and looking at the Zabrak boy made him realise something he should have remembered from the beginning.

“It'll have to be Anni then,” he said, silently kicking himself

“Whys that?” Ahsoka asked.

“Because Obi-wan had a history with red Zabraks and it wouldn't be nice for either of them,” Anakin said.

"Ahh," Barriss sighed. "How could we forget?"

“Oh, What happened?” Ahsoka asked.

“You ever hear of Darth Maul?” he asked.

“Not really,” she replied. “Only that he was the first Sith to appear in like a thousand years.” 

“Hmm, I'll tell you the full story sometime,” he said. “The gist of it is that he killed Obi-wan's Master and Obi-wan killed him.”

“Oh, that's awful,” Ahsoka said.

“Yeah,” Anakin sighed.

“So Anni it is then,” Barriss said. “What do you want to do now?”

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. “I think we'll leave her here for today, while we arrange some things then we can come and get her tomorrow.”

“Alright, sounds good,” Barriss said, putting away her datapad and standing up.

They followed suit and left the training hall.

“Now what?” Ahsoka asked when they reached the turbolifts.

“Well, you two are free to do as you wish, I need to go talk to the quartermaster to get new quarters arranged for Obi-wan,” he said stepping into the lift. “So relax, or catch up on your studies,” he said with a smirk at Ahsoka, who groaned.

“Can't I do them some other time?” she complained.

“It's your choice,” he said as the lift doors closed between them and he pressed the button for the administration level.

It turned out to be far easier than he'd been expecting to arrange for new quarters for Obi-wan, which probably had a lot to do with him being a council member, and he was all done in less than an hour, so he returned to his quarters to find Ahsoka and Barriss watching one of the holo dramas they both seemed to love for some reason.

“What is this?” he asked as he joined them on the sofa.

“Heart of Secrets,” Ahsoka replied, not looking away from the holo.

“And what's it about?” he asked.

“A couple who are in love but can't show it because of the jobs they do, so they keep their relationship a secret and hope no one finds them out,” she said.

“Ahh,” he said.

“It's quite good,” Barriss said. _“Reminds me a bit of us,”_ she added over their bond.

“Oh really?” he muttered, turning his attention to the show, smiling slightly as Barriss shifted so they were just barely touching.

Two hours later, he had to admit they were right, it was quite a good show, not that he'd ever admit that out loud and it had given him a few ideas for things he and Barriss could do if they ever had the time.

They took the rest of the day easy and turned in early, excited for tomorrow.

  


* * *

  


Early, but not too early the next morning, Barriss and Anakin made their way down to the crèche, leaving Ahsoka with the job of pinning Obi-wan down somewhere.

She hadn't been entirely happy about that, but had accepted it when Anakin had explained by saying she could act far better than he could and would be less likely to give the surprise away.

They'd left her smirking at the kitchen table, plotting how to do it.

“How do you want to do this?” she asked, when they stopped outside the crèche.

“I think I'll just ask to speak with her, then we can explain everything and see if she actually wants to become his Padawan, though I'm sure the answer will be yes,” Anakin said.

“Alright, lets do it,” Barriss smirked, giving his hand a squeeze.

He returned the gesture, then opened the door to the crèche.

They walked inside and greeted the crèche master.

“Knight Skywalker, what brings you down here today?” she asked.

“We'd like to speak to Anni Chanti if possible,” Anakin said.

“Certainly,” the Master said and called her over.

Anni was sitting on one of the beds by herself, reading a holo book and looked up at the Master's call.

The Master waved her over and she put the book down and walked over, looking more than a little nervous.

When she reached them, she bowed respectfully and looked questioningly at them.

“Hello Anni, I'm Anakin Skywalker and this is Barriss Offee,” Anakin began. “You may have noticed we've been watching your classes the last few days.”

Anni nodded.

“Right, well, the reason we were watching is because my old Master, Obi-wan Kenobi, needs a new Padawan, but being on the council and a High General he doesn't have the time to choose one himself, so he asked us to evaluate the Initiates and to choose someone we thought would make the best Padawan for him,” he went on, and Barriss noticed Anni looked more and more excited the longer he spoke, though she kept it well contained.

“So, after several days of evaluation we have chosen you, that is, if you want to become Master Obi-wan's Padawan,” he finished.

“What do you mean?” Anni asked, looking like she didn't want to dare hope he meant what he said.

“I mean, the choice is yours, you can say no, but would you like to become Obi-wan's Padawan?”

“Yes!” Anni exclaimed excitedly, then almost immediately restrained herself.

“I mean yes,” she said in a more reserved tone, “I would.”

“Great,” Anakin grinned, while Barriss smiled.

“If you have nothing pressing to do this morning, you can come and meet him now,” she added.

“No, just the morning routine, but I guess that doesn't matter anymore,” Anni said, smiling brightly.

“Great,” Anakin said again, as his comm chimed and he looked at the message, then showed it to Barriss.

It was from Ahsoka she saw, telling them that Obi-wan was in their living room, waiting.

Barriss smiled.

“Right, well, we're just on our way to meet him now if you'd like to come,” Anakin said.

“Okay,” Anni agreed.

So they said goodbye to the crèche Master and headed back to the lifts, Anni walking between them.

As they rode up to their floor, they could feel her getting more and more nervous.

“Don't worry,” Anakin said when they reached their floor, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “Obi-wan is one of the best master's you could hope to have, trust me, I know.”

Anni nodded and some of her nerves faded, though there were still plenty there when they walked down the hall to Anakin's quarters.

They paused outside the door for a moment, then Anakin opened the door and stepped inside.

She nudged Anni in after him and followed them inside.

Ahsoka was waiting near the door for them and grinned as they stepped in.

Obi-wan and Luminara were sitting on Anakin's sofa and also looked over as they came in and looked curiously at Anni.

“Master, I'm pleased to report that I was successful,” Anakin said with a huge smile, gently nudging Anni in front of him. “This is Anni Chanti, your new Padawan.”

Anni stepped forward and bowed to Obi-wan.

“Master, I look forward to your teachings and I hope I can live up to your expectations,” she said,

“I'm sure you will,” Obi-wan said, going along with it, even though it was clear to those that knew him he had no idea what was going on. 

Anni smiled at him, which he returned, then gestured for her to take a seat beside him, while shooting Anakin a look, who just smirked back and sat down opposite them.

Barriss sat down beside him and they watched as Anni climbed up beside Obi-wan, smoothing out her robes as she sat down.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Obi-wan said.

Anni took a moment to gather her thoughts, then launched into an explanation of her training so far.

She described what training she'd had so far, her favourite form, Soresu, as well as optional courses she'd taken, which included an advanced languages course and a negotiation one, and the more she spoke, the more they felt they'd made the right choice, she was so much like Obi-wan

Obi-wan asked questions here and there and always smiled at the the responses.

When she finished, there was no trace of her earlier nervousness as she looked up at Obi-wan expectantly.

“Well, now that we've heard a bit about you, is there anything you'd like to ask?” he asked.

Um...” she trailed off, looking shyly around.

“You can ask whatever you like,” Obi-wan said with a smile. “You can trust everyone here completely.”

“Yeah,” Ahsoka grinned. “And there's no such thing as a dumb question, right Master?”

“You haven't found one yet,” he smirked, getting snorts of amusement from everyone.

“I can't think of anything at the moment,” she said. “But if I think of something later can I still ask?”

“Of course,” Obi-wan said. “We'll get you a comm with everyone's numbers too.”

“Cool,” she grinned.

“I have a question actually, if you don't mind,” Anakin said and Anni nodded, doing a fair impression of Obi-wan already.

“Did you ever compete in repulsorlift derby the Initiates organise in the lower levels of the temple?”

“No, of course not,” Anni replied with mock offence. “It's so uncivilized,” she muttered, getting a snort from Obi-wan.

After that, talk shifted to more general topics, with them all getting involved, especially Ahsoka, who seemed excited to have another younger Padawan in their little family.

It was several hours later when Obi-wan finally stood.

“Right,” he said. “Why don't you head back to the crèche for tonight so I can arrange for new quarters, then tomorrow we'll get you moved in.”

“Yes Master,” Anni said, rising to her feet.

“Way ahead of you,” Anakin smirked, pulling out a key-card from his robes and tossing it to Obi-wan. “Number 234,” he said.

“Ahh, thank you,” Obi-wan said, turning back to Anni.

“Well, since that's arranged, you have the choice of either one more night in the crèche or moving in tonight.”

Anni frowned thoughtfully for a moment.

“If it's alright, can I move in tonight?” she asked shyly.

“Of course,” Obi-wan smiled. “If you want to go get your possessions, I'll meet you there.”

“Yes Master,” she said, bowing and heading for the door.

“I'll help you if you want,” Ahsoka offered. “Then I can explain things to you, Padawan to Padawan.”

“Okay,” Anni agreed.

“What about me? I'm a Padawan too,” Barriss said.

Ahsoka laughed.

“You're practically a Knight,” she replied as she followed Anni out the door.

Once the door had closed behind them, Obi-wan turned to them.

“Would either of you care to explain this?” he asked drily.

“Of course,” Anakin grinned. “Since you were kind enough to have Ahsoka assigned to me, I thought it only proper to do something for you in return.”

“So after much thought and discussion, we settled on getting you a new Padawan,” Barriss picked up. “Because we thought you must be getting lonely without having Anakin around constantly,” she added with a smirk.

“Yes, so we spent the last couple of days deciding on which Initiate would be best suited to become your Padawan, and now here she is,” he finished, grin widening.

“I see,” Obi-wan said, letting out a long suffering sigh, while Luminara had a barely perceptible smile on her face. “We'd better get going then, there are some things I need to get done before my new Padawan returns.”

And with that he stood and headed for the door, with Luminara following after him, openly grinning now.

She paused at the door and gave them a smile and a wave, before heading out after Obi-wan, leaving Anakin and Barriss alone.

“That went rather well I think,” Anakin smirked.

“Yes it did,” Barriss agreed.

“Job well done,” he said, holding his hand out to Barriss.

She took it and shook it firmly.

“Yes indeed,” she said, before he pulled her close and kissed her.

She returned the kiss and after along moment, they broke apart.

“Want to celebrate?” he asked.

“Sure,” she smiled.

"Alright," Anakin said, "Change into something discrete and meet me in the hanger, I have something in mind."

"Okay," she nodded, heading for the door.

"Oh, what about Ahsoka," she asked turning back to him.

"She's probably occupied with other things now, but I'll tell her the rest of the day is hers," he replied.

“Okay,” she smiled and left the apartment, quickly making her way back to her quarters.

  


* * *

  


Once Barriss had left and Anakin returned to his room to quickly change into something less Jediy, then headed down to the hanger and had a speeder ready and waiting when Barriss arrived.

She was wearing a simple set of robes and had her hair up in a simple scarf, but he thought it looked great.

“That looks nice,” he smiled as she climbed in beside him.

“Thank you,” she replied, as he lifted off and they headed out into the city. “Where are we going?”

“To this place Luminara mentioned to me once, she said it was really nice,” he said. 

“What is it?”

“A restaurant that specializes in Mirialian dishes,” he said.

They headed lower into the city until they finally stopped outside their destination, Anakin parked in the restaurant's parking lot and they headed inside.

Inside, it was tastefully decorated with traditional Mirialan colours, light greens and deep blues, with numerous landscape holos and paintings on the walls.

They took a private booth near the back and talked quietly until the serving droid arrived to take their orders.

Barriss ordered one of the Nerf curries, while he chose a dish of fried Nerf strips with some kind of spicy sauce and a side of salad.

“You know,” Barriss smiled as the droid rolled away. “I think this is our first actual date.”

“Wow, you're right,” he said after a moments thought.

“This is a nice place,” she continued with a sad smile. “I wish we could come here more often.”

He reached across the table and took her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

“You never know,” he smiled. “The war could end tomorrow and the council might have a change of heart and allow relationships.”

Barriss laughed.

“I think that's about as likely as Master Yoda growing to the size of a Wookiee.”

“We can always hope,” he grinned.

They talked for a bit longer, not really talking about anything in particular, then the food arrived and it looked delicious, so they dug in and it tasted as good as it looked.

Barriss let out a happy sigh as she took a second forkful and smiled at him.

He smiled back and picked up another strip of meat that was covered in a sauce that was both sweet and spicy at the same time, a combination he found surprisingly good.

They finished the main meal fairly quickly and ordered dessert.

They sat in silence as they waited, holding hands again and just enjoying each others company.

Dessert arrived, they ate slowly, wanting to draw out their time alone, but eventually they had to go.

He went up to the counter to pay, then they walked outside and decided to go for a walk through a botanical garden that seemed to be part of the restaurant.

It was very peaceful inside and they wandered through till they found a quiet corner, next to a fountain, that they could sit together in and just be a couple for once, without having to worry about anything.

“Not bad for a first date,” Barriss said quietly, leaning against him with a smile.

“Yeah,” he smiled, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

They lost track of time as they sat there, listening to the bubbling of the fountain, till they were disturbed by the chiming of his comm.

With a groan, he pulled it out and glanced at it.

“It's from Ahsoka,” he said as he read the message. “Wondering where I am.”

“It is getting late, I suppose we should head back,” Barriss said reluctantly.

“Yeah,” he sighed, starting to get to his feet, but Barriss stopped him and pressed one last kiss to his lips.

He returned it with equal passion until they broke apart and with a shared smile, returned to their speeder.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka goes shopping for new clothes and an emergency comes up.

Take Ahsoka shopping, he said. It'll be fun, she's not fussy, he said.

Anakin had obviously never taken his Padawan shopping, or realised how difficult it was to find a store that catered to or even stocked the right kind of clothing for Togruta's, Barriss thought, barely containing a groan as Ahsoka disappeared back into the changing room with another armful of clothes to try on.

Anakin owed her one for this, several actually, she decided with a smirk.

This particular store had been recommended to them by the owner of the previous store they'd visited when they asked about clothing suitable for Togruta’s, since none of the earlier ones had more than a couple of outfits that would even fit a Togruta, let alone be suitable for combat. She hadn't realized how many clothes had to be pulled over your head until now.

When they'd walked into this one, they could see immediately that it had a far wider range of options for Ahsoka and Barriss had let out a sigh of relief, thinking they'd be done in no time.

That had been almost two hours ago now, with no sign of being done any time soon.

And it wasn't entirely Ahsoka's fault, Barriss had to concede. Most of the outfits looked fine until they were tried on, then she found that it didn't stretch enough in certain places or it hindered her movement in others, something that could get you killed on the battlefield. 

Stifling a yawn, she glanced at her companions on this mission to see how they were holding up.

Fives was still sitting attentively, awaiting the next outfit they were required to give their opinion on, while Anni was reading through one of the many catalogues the staff of the store had provided for their use.

Barriss smiled at the girl, Anni was settling in well, the perfect Padawan for Obi-wan and so similar to him they found, the more they got to know her, though there were some things they differed greatly in. Anni, they'd discovered, was far more honest with her opinions than Obi-wan.

Something that was very amusing at times, Barriss though with smile.

“What do you think?” Ahsoka asked, emerging again, in a dark blue tunic this time, with purple highlights.

“It looks great Commander,” Fives said.

“You say that about everything,” Ahsoka complained.

“Well, you look great in everything,” he responded with a smile.

“Thanks,” she muttered, blushing slightly, before turning to Barriss. “What do you think?”

“It's... okay, but I don't think purple’s your colour,” she admitted.

Ahsoka sighed, then turned around and headed back into the changing room.

Barriss sighed too, and waited for the next outfit.

It wasn't long and when Ahsoka emerged, she almost recoiled at how bright red the outfit was.

“So?” Ahsoka asked, giving a little twirl.

“It's um... very red,” Barriss said eventually.

“Yeah...” Fives said, for once looking unsure about it too.

“Like a ripe tomato,” Anni added.

There was a moment of silence, then they all glanced at Anni, who continued to read through her catalogue.

“What was that Anni?” Barriss asked with a grin.

“What?” she said, looking up.

“What did you just say?” Ahsoka asked, looking at her suspiciously.

“Hmm, oh, nothing,” Anni said, returning to her catalogue.

Fives was grinning now too, while Ahsoka looked slightly nonplussed and returned to the dressing room as Barriss concealed her laughter with several coughs.

After another hour of trying things on, Barriss thought they'd finally hit the jackpot as Ahsoka emerged in a deep red battle dress and dark leggings.

“That looks great,” Barriss said, with a relieved smile.

“You really think so?” Ahsoka asked, turning to look in the mirror.

“Yes, that really suits you,” Barriss said.

“I think you look amazing, Ahsoka,” Fives added.

“Yeah, the clothes look good on you,” Anni said, rolling her eyes at Fives.

“I'll grab a few then, then we can go and pay,” Ahsoka said, walking off in the direction she'd found them.

She hadn't been gone long when Barriss's comm chimed.

She quickly glanced at the message and saw it was from her Master, requesting that she return as soon as possible for an emergency meeting.

She looked up and noticed Anni was reading a message too.

“My Master says I need to get back for an emergency meeting,” she said, looking up.

“Mine too,” Barriss replied.

“I wonder what's happened,” Fives mused as Ahsoka came running up to them with an armful of clothes and her comm in hand.

“Anakin needs me back at the temple,” she said. “Some kind of emergency.”

“Us too,” Barriss said, waving her comm.

“We'd better get going then,” Fives said, looking at his own comm. “The Captain's just told the legion to prepare to depart.”

“I'll just pay for these, then we can go,” Ahsoka said, heading for the counter.

They followed her and waited as the owner scanned everything, including the one she was still wearing and gave her a discount for being a Jedi, something Ahsoka insisted wasn't necessary, but the owner would hear otherwise so Ahsoka accepted with many thank you's and a promise to return if she needed anything else.

With that settled, her new clothes were put into four bags, two of which Fives insisted on taking, before they left the store and rushed to their speeder, piling in before Barriss lifted them off and set a course for the temple.

“Must be pretty serious if they want all of us,” Anni said, with a hint of nervousness.

“Yeah,” Ahsoka agreed. “But whatever it is, we can handle it,” she added, patting Anni on the arm.

She nodded, but still looked a bit worried, which was understandable, considering this would probably be her first combat deployment as well as her first mission as a Padawan.

“It's alright to be nervous,” Barriss said to Anni. “I was too on my first mission with my Master and that was just to resolve a mining dispute with your Master and Anakin.”

“And how did that go?” Anni asked curiously.

“Ahh, it all worked out in the end,” she said, not wanting to tell her about how it had turned into a full scale battle before they could resolve things, that wouldn't help her nerves at all.

But Anni seemed happy with that and looked a lot less worried as they arrived at the temple.

Barriss parked in the hanger and they all piled out and hurried to the briefing room, with Ahsoka and Fives still carrying their bags of clothing, drawing looks from everyone they passed.

Their Master's looked up from the holo table they were gathered around with their Commanders as they burst into the room.

“Nice of you to join us,” Obi-wan said drily, as they haphazardly dumped their bags and gathered around the holo table.

“Sorry Master, it took longer than I thought to find some new clothes,” Ahsoka said.

Barriss rolled her eyes, as did Anni. Anakin noticed and smirked, before turning his attention to his Padawan. 

“You did find some though,” Anakin said, indicating the new outfit she was wearing.

“Yep,” she said. 

“It looks good,” he said before returning his attention to the holo table. “Just in time for our next missions.”

“Nice,” Ahsoka said eagerly. “What are they?”

“We're just discussing that,” Luminara said. “We have two priority missions right now. The first is rescuing Master Koth, who's been captured by Grevious and probably tortured in an attempt to draw more Jedi to him.”

There were gasps from Ahsoka and Anni.

“Yes,” Luminara grimaced. “And the other is a new threat the council had thought long dead, a Separatist General, Sev'rance Tann, thought to be responsible for the deaths of at least three Jedi Masters and a number of Padawans at the first battle of Geonosis.”

Anakin and Barriss grimaced too, remembering that day.

“I've never heard of this Tann, who is he?” Ahsoka asked.

“She,” Obi-wan corrected, “Is a force user from the unknown regions we think, but aside from this holo,” he continued, bringing up an image of a blue skinned woman with dark hair and red eyes. “We know very little about her.”

“She was last seen when a strike force lead by Master Shen-jon tracked her to Krant, he and his Padawan were killed there and she was reported dead by his Commander,” Anakin added. “But she's resurfaced again and the council thinks she's leading an invasion of Thalhurst.”

As he finished, Anakin's comm chimed. He pulled it out and glanced at it, then smirked as he ignored the call and put it back in his pocket.

“Who was that?” Obi-wan asked.

“The Chancellor,” Anakin said, smirk widening.

“And you're just going to ignore him?”

“Yep,” he grinned. “I'm busy at the moment anyway.”

Obi-wan shook his head, but returned to the briefing.

“Commander, if would continue,” he gestured to Cody.

Cody nodded.

“Our scouts have traced Grevious's fleet to the world of Saleucami, where he seems to just be sitting there, waiting for us,” Cody said. “While on Thalhurst, Tann has begun landing large amounts of ground forces, so far we've counted at least seven battalions.”

“So what are we going to do then?” Barriss asked. “Are we going after one of them or both?”

“Both,” Obi-wan said. “We've already discussed it with the council, so Anakin and I, along with Master Gallia, will go and rescue Master Koth, while you and Luminara with the support of the 327th will break the siege of Thalhurst, locate Tann and if possible capture her.”

“Alright,” Barriss nodded. “So what are the plans then?”

“Well,” Anakin said with a smirk. “I don't know what Luminara has planned, but we're planning to pin down Grevious's fleet, then board his flagship and rescue Master Koth.”

Barriss stared at him in disbelief for a moment, then turned to Obi-wan.

“Is he serious?” she asked.

“Of course,” Obi-wan smiled. “While I act as bait for Grevious, hopefully drawing him onto my ship when we allow ourselves to captured in a tractor beam, Anakin and his force will be able to board undetected and should be able to complete their part of the mission without mishap.”

Barriss blinked, then glanced at her Master, who shook her head with a weary look. Evidently she'd already tried to talk them out of this... plan, and had failed.

“What about us?” Ahsoka asked, indicating her and Anni.

“You'll be on our flagship coordinating the battle with the Admiral,” Anakin told her.

“What!” she exclaimed.

“Grevious is far too dangerous an opponent for a Padawan,” he said.

“I've fought him before!” she retorted.

“And were extremely lucky to survive that!” he shot back.

“You'll also be in charge of the reserve forces, to make sure his fleet doesn't get away,” Obi-wan put in, attempting to stop their argument.

“Yeah,” Anakin said. “And extracting us if anything goes wrong.”

“You mean when?” she smirked, seeming slightly mollified now.

“Probably,” he smirked back.

They spent the next few hours planning their respective missions and campaigns, even bringing Aayla in via holocomm to help with their part, before departing to make the final preparations for their forces.

Anakin, Obi-wan and their Padawans would be leaving right away, while she and her Master would be departing early the next morning.

So after quickly packing her bag, she went over to their quarters to see them off, suspecting Luminara, who had slipped out just before her, was doing the same with Obi-wan.

She caught them just as they were leaving their quarters.

“Hey,” Ahsoka greeted her with a smile, while Anakin just smiled.

“Good luck,” she said, giving Ahsoka a hug. “And may the force be with you,” she added, giving Anakin one too.

“You too,” he replied, giving her arm a squeeze. _“And be careful, I don't want to lose you.”_

_“I'm more worried about you,”_ she shot back, with a sad smile.

_“I'll be careful,”_ he promised, before releasing her and nudging Ahsoka down the hall.

Barriss followed them to the lift.

_“I love you,”_ he said as the doors closed between them.

_“I know,”_ she smiled, then he was gone.

She took a breath, then turned and headed back to her quarters, wanting to look through their album one more time before they left.

  


* * *

  


As Anakin flew them to the shipyards, where their cruiser was awaiting them, there was an unusual silence between him and Ahsoka. A silence Ahsoka seemed to both want to and not want to break.

He glanced at her, sitting in the passenger seat beside him, looking like she really wanted to ask him something, and noticed a tag still hanging off her collar.

Smirking, he reached over and pulled it off.

When he did, she looked at him in confusion and he waved the tag he'd just removed.

“You did pay for this didn't you?” he teased.

“Yes, of course,” she replied, mock glaring at him.

He laughed, and they lapsed into silence again.

Several minutes passed before she broke it.

“Master?” she said quietly. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” he replied, giving her a smile.

“What is your opinion on... attachments?” she asked, looking at him with an almost worried expression.

He thought about the question for a moment, and guessed she wanted to know because she had one or was beginning to feel one.

“I think they're a natural part of life,” he said eventually. “And that denying them or pretending we don't feel them does more harm than having them.”

“So you disagree with the code?” she asked, a feeling of relief radiating from her.

“Yes, I do,” he said simply. “Why do you ask? Is there someone you have... feelings for?” he smirked.

“What, no!” she exclaimed, but he knew her well enough by now to know she was lying. He didn't press her though as she continued. “I was just... talking about this with Barriss the other night and she implied you shared her opinion.”

“Hmm, well she's right, I personally don't believe the code has it right about attachments,” he said, glancing at her and wondering what else they'd discussed that night and if this was the cause of the tension the morning after. “And that the order would be better off all round if they allowed more... intimate attachments.”

She raised an eyebrow marking but otherwise didn't seem too surprised by that.

“Wait, are you in love with someone too?” she asked suddenly, turning to stare at him. 

“Maybe,” he replied. “But if I was I wouldn't say,” he smirked.

Ahsoka groaned.

“First Barriss and now you,” she complained, then slapped her hands over her mouth.

“What do you mean?” he asked, surprised by her reaction.

“Nothing,” she mumbled, burying her face in her hands.

“I won't say anything, I promise,” he told her, rather curious now.

“Not even to Barriss?” she asked, raising her head a bit.

“Not even to Barriss,” he promised. “It's just between you and me.”

“Okay,” she sighed. “Barriss mentioned there was someone she was attached to, but wouldn't tell me who.”

“Ahh,” he smiled.

“Do you know who it is?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Who?” she demanded.

“Sorry,” he smirked. “I can't reveal her secrets, and knowing Barriss, she probably promised retribution if you asked me.” 

Ahsoka flushed and mumbled something.

“Haha, thought so, what was it?”

“I'd rather not say,” she said after a moment.

“Alright then,” he shrugged. “I'm assuming the reason you were asking is because you're attached to someone?”

When she didn't respond, he took it as confirmation and pressed on.

“You're not in trouble and I won't tell anyone,” he promised. “In fact, I hope you feel you can come to me if you have any questions or anything, just be careful, okay?”

“Okay,” she said quietly, then gave him a shy smile. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome, Snips” he smiled, as they approached the shipyard and he set them down in one of the parking lots reserved for departing personal.

“If you want, we can talk about this some more once we've got Grevious,” he said as they climbed out.

“I'd like that,” she smiled, then ran off to find her men.

He smiled fondly after her, then headed in the direction he could feel the most activity.

By the looks of things, most of the men were already aboard their cruisers, with just the final last minute preparations to be finished.

Rex, as always, was in the centre of things directing everything and nodded as he approached.

“All set General,” he said. “Just one more company and a few loads of supplies to go.”

“Very good,” Anakin nodded, then felt a familiar presence nearby.

He glanced around and quickly spotted a small figure standing in the shadow of one of the buildings, and despite their disguise, it could only be one person. No one else he knew dressed so expensively when they were trying to blend in. 

“Tell you what Rex, I'll handle the last of it,” he said, nodding in the figure’s direction.

Rex glanced towards them and seemed to recognise them instantly.

“Thank you Sir,” he said quietly, before casually marching in Padmé's direction.

Anakin watched them till they disappeared around the corner, then turned his attention to the last of the loading, which was all finished up within twenty minutes.

Rex reappeared as the last of the supplies were loaded aboard, a mixture of happiness and sadness coming off his force signature. 

“You alright?” Anakin asked quietly, as they stepped aboard their cruiser.

“Yes sir, I'll be fine,” Rex replied.

“Alright,” Anakin nodded, clapping him on the shoulder. “If you ever want to talk though...”

“Thank you,” Rex nodded.

Within ten minutes of them boarding, the Resolute lifted off and rose into the sky to join the rest of the fleet forming over Coruscant.

There was time for one last planning session before they jumped and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong with the mission.

But he shoved that thought aside, and opened the holo channel to the Negotiator, there was no place for doubt on this mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. : )


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle of Thalhurst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set about 1 month after the last chapter.

“Take cover!”

Barriss dove for cover as yet another enemy shell slammed into their position, sending up a fountain of dirt, rubble and things she didn't want to know that fell in a shower around them.

Brushing herself off, she got back to her feet and surveyed their position.

What was left of her company had dug in around the town and surrounding hills after they'd driven back the Separatists and evacuated the civilians in preparation for the counter-attack they knew would soon follow.

Her Master held the main position further to the north, while Aayla's forces were to the south and they'd come under heavy attack not long after as the droids tried to outflank Luminara's position and run straight into her forces.

They'd easily driven off their first attacks and had pushed forwards to the town they now occupied, before the enemies reinforcements had arrived and begun shelling them, three days earlier.

Something the droids usually didn't do when they were left to their own devices, which made her believe they had a living commander somewhere out there, possibly Tann, she thought, there'd been reported sightings of her in many battles since they'd arrived, but nothing confirmed, yet.

After about half an hour, the shelling stopped and Russ made his way over her.

“Here they come, Commander,” he said, over the noise of renewed blaster and cannon fire.

She turned her attention to the front and saw wave after wave of battle droids advancing on their position, picking their way through craters and the destroyed bodies of the previous waves.

“Don't they ever learn?” Barriss muttered, shaking her head.

“Doesn't look like it,” Russ replied, and she could hear the smirk in his voice. “Makes our job easier so I'm not complaining.”

“No, me either,” she said, igniting her lightsaber as the droids entered the town.

The first ranks of B1's were quickly destroyed, but more replaced them, and more after that. Soon the the streets were choked with the bodies of fallen droids, the waves slowing as they had to climb over the piles made by their predecessors. 

Barriss stood back with her men, deflecting any bolts in reach and using the force to give them any advantage she could, throwing rubble at a group here, knocking others off their feet there.

An hour later, they were still fighting and she could feel her men beginning to tire, as three days of near constant fighting began to take it's toll.

Suddenly, there was a flare of dark side energy from her forward position and several troopers came running out, only for one of them to be pulled back and impaled on a yellow lightsaber. Then, from out of the shadows, emerged a blue skinned woman, cloaked in black, with her dark hair loose and red eyes burning. 

Barriss gritted her teeth, Tann was here after all. 

“Sir, what should we do?” Russ asked, with only a small amount of concern.

“Focus on the droids, I'll keep her busy,” She said, already moving to position herself between Tann and her remaining men.

When Tann saw her, she laughed.

“You think you can stop me, do you, Padawan?” Tann cackled, “I've killed Masters, you won't even be a moments entertainment.”

“I've been taught by the best in my order,” Barriss replied, bringing her lightsaber up to the guard position, “You're no match for me,” she smirked, knowing it would annoy the woman.

It did, and Tann let out a growl and launched herself at Barriss.

Barriss easily blocked her first attacks, used to Anakin's more aggressive fighting style and smiled at Tann, which only infuriated the woman further, making her launch into a series of even more aggressive attacks. 

Barriss stood her ground for the first couple, then slowly began to give ground, letting the Chiss woman tire herself before she pressed her attack.

The battle continued to rage around them and she was vaguely aware the her men were winning and the droids were close to being wiped out.

She could see Tann was beginning to tire from her relentless assault and got ready to counter-attack, when she stepped on an uneven piece of rubble, that shifted beneath her and she lost her footing.

Tann let out a triumphant growl as she went down and she felt a burning pain in her back as Tann's lightsaber grazed her.

She rolled to dodge Tann's follow up attack, sending pain down her back again and brought her lightsaber round to catch the next.

Then, from out of nowhere, a volley of blaster bolts flew past, with one bolt catching Tann in the shoulder.

Tann cried out in pain and turned to face her assailants, Russ and Nexu, hand raised to crush them with the force. 

"NO!" Barriss yelled, throwing up her own hand and blasting Tann back with the force.

Tann let out a surprised yelp as she went flying and crashed into some ruins on the far side of the square, giving Barriss the time she needed to regain her footing, using the force to suppress the agony in her back and took a step towards Tann, who had already recovered and was deflecting Nexu and Russ's bolts back at them.

“Hold your fire,” she told them, catching one bolt that would have hit Russ.

They did and a quiet filled the space around them as both sides watched each other, waiting for the other to make the first move, with neither side in a condition to do so.

Barriss was grimacing through her pain, while Tann held her shoulder, glaring at her.

Eventually, it was decided when more of her men approached from behind, training their blasters on Tann, who evidently decided it wasn't worth continuing the fight, and threw a force blast at them, making them lose their footing, before using force enhanced speed to escape the square.

“Do we pursue?” Russ asked.

“No,” Barriss hissed, tensing briefly as the pain intensified before she could get a handle on it.

“She's injured, but so are we and she could have more forces waiting to ambush us if we did,” she continued, straightening again and attaching her saber to her belt. “We'll call it in and see if my Master or General Secura can send us some support.”

“Alright,” Russ nodded as she turned and began walking towards their temporary command centre.

“Commander, are you alright?” Russ asked with concern as he caught sight of her back.

“I'm fine,” she gasped, then hissed as a slight movement twinged her back.

He and Nexu quickly moved to have a look despite her feeble protests.

“That looks bad, Commander,” Nexu commented, seeing the slash.

“It's fine,” she said, through gritted teeth.

“With all due respect Commander, it isn't,” Russ told her. “You need a medic right away.”

“I'll see Switcher as soon as I've reported to my Master, we can't let Tann escape again,” she replied, in a tone that said don't argue.

“But Sir,” Russ began, but she cut him off.

“I'll be fine, Russ,” she said in a gentler tone. “But if it makes you feel better, you can ask Switcher to meet us in the command centre.”

“Thank you,” Russ said and immediately commed Switcher. She couldn't hear what was being said, but from his posture she could tell he was complaining to the medic and smiled through her pain as they headed for the command centre.

Switcher was already inside when they arrived and put a hand up to silence what she'd been about to say, before ushering her over to a chair beside the holocom unit and forcing her into it.

She let him, it was easier than arguing with him and her back was starting to really hurt anyway, she almost couldn't think through the pain now.

He still didn't say anything when he began to cut away the back of her robes to get at the injury and she could feel the concern and tension radiating off him as he injected her with a light pain killer.

She gasped in relief as the pain vanished and she felt the tension in him ease too, as he got a better look at the wound.

“It's just a flesh wound,” he said in relief, sounding like he was talking more to himself than her.

She let him work and he soon had bacta patches covering it.

“That'll do for now, but as soon as you're done here I want you in the medbay and I won't hesitate to ask Nexu to stun you and drag you there either,” he told her sternly.

“Fine,” she agreed. “But don't you need the space for men who actually need it?”

“Not this time,” he said in evident relief.

“Alright then,” she said, and he turned to leave. “Thank you,” she added.

He nodded and left as Russ removed his helmet and prepped the comm, calling her Master.

“General Unduli,” he said when it connected. “Commander Offee has news to report.”

“And what is it?” Luminara asked as Barriss stepped in range of the holo unit.

“Sev'rance Tann was here Master,” Barriss said. “She led an attack on our position, I engaged her and she was injured by Russ and Nexu before escaping,” she added.

“And are you alright?” Luminara asked with concern.

“Yes Master, just a minor lightsaber wound,” she replied.

Russ frowned at that, but didn't say anything.

Luminara noticed however and turned to him.

“You have a different assessment Captain?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No General,” Russ responded, “Just... considering our loses.”

Barriss let out an internal sigh of relief, her Master had enough to worry about at the moment without adding her to the list, and if she found out, it wouldn't be long before Anakin did, and that was something she didn't have the energy to deal with right now.

“Ahh,” Luminara sighed, “How bad is it this time?”

“Forty-eight dead, everyone else is walking wounded, only seven seriously injured,” Russ reported and Barriss felt her heart clench, forty-eight more of her men dead.

“Is your position secure?”

“For now General, but we'll need reinforcements if we're to survive another attack and if we want to pursue Tann.”

“Alright, I'll send a company to reinforce you, though with Tann injured, what remains of the Separatists should be easily routed.” Luminara said.

“Very good General,” Russ said, before stepping back and Luminara returned her attention to Barriss.

“Was there anything else to report?” Luminara asked.

“No, that's all Master,” Barriss said, managing a weak smile.

“Alright then,” Luminara said, “Once I've finished up here I'll come down and we'll see if we can hunt down Tann, with our blockade in place she won't be able to get off world.”

“Yes Master, was there anything else?”

“No, that's all Barriss, I'll see you soon.”

“Yes Master,” Barriss nodded, before ending the call.

When the holo faded, Barriss slumped against the holo table.

"How are you really doing?" Russ asked as he knelt down beside her.

"I'm alright," she sighed. "Just tired."

"Hmm," Russ frowned.

"Really, I'm fine," she said.

“Well, come on then,” Russ said, “You need a change of clothes and a trip to the medbay because Switcher was serious.”

“Fine,” she said. “But first I need to check on the men and make sure our position is actually secure.”

“All taken care of, Commander. You need to take care of yourself now.”

She wanted to argue the point, but she just didn't have the energy.

“Alright,” she sighed and followed Russ down to the medbay, stopping to have a word with each trooper they passed on the way.

“About time,” Switcher said when they walked in. “I was just about to send Nexu to go get you.”

“Well I'm here now,” she said, sinking onto the bed he indicated with a small sigh of relief, she'd been on her feet for almost three days without rest now, it felt good to sit on something comfortable.

“I'll see you later,” Russ said and walked out.

Switcher got straight to work, peeling back the temporary patches he'd put on before and putting on a proper bandage.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, when he'd finished.

“You're welcome Commander,” he replied in an exhausted tone, turning to clean up his supplies.

“How're you holding up?” she asked, catching his arm and turning him to face her.

“I'll live,” he said, running a hand over his face. “We've just... lost so many these last few days.”

“I know,” she said sadly. “I can still feel their deaths,” she added quietly, 

Switcher sighed, then glanced at his chrono.

“You need sleep, I don't remember seeing you take a break at all these last few days.”

“I didn't,” she said with a yawn.

“What! That's not healthy, Commander!”

“I can take it,” she said. “And you didn't either.”

“That's beside the point,” he argued.

“Tell you what, I'll get some if you do,” she conceded, not having the energy left to argue with him like she usually did.

“I will,” he promised.

“Good,” she nodded, as she left the medbay, heading straight for her bunk.

When she reached it, she pulled on a new set of robes just in case they were attacked again and climbed into bed, falling asleep in moments. 

Falling straight into a war torn landscape as her nightmare returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.
> 
> On a side note, at some point I'm planning to write a series of oneshots set in this AU, covering things I either didn't explain or only hinted at, so if there's anything you'd like more of, or want me to explain further, or even just something you'd like to see, leave a comment with what it is and I'll get round to them as soon as I can. ; )


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle of Kamino...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, it... really didn't want to get written.

Anakin sighed in frustration as he read through yet another report of a disaster that had happened on the front.

It'd been a bad month all round for the republic.

First had been their failed attempt to capture Grevious, where they'd not only lost a lot of men and several ships, but Rex had also been put in the medbay after being shot by a sniper during the pursuit on world, and hadn't that been fun informing Padmé of what happened. He'd rather face Dooku, Grevious and Ventress at the same time than do that again.

She'd been unusually panicked when he'd called to say that Rex had been wounded but he was going to be fine and it had taken him almost half an hour to convince her not to jump on the nearest ship and fly out and meet them. And that had only worked because he'd cleared the medbay and given Rex his comm to talk with her.

Then he'd left them to it and returned an hour later to find Rex staring at the silence comm with a mixture of elation and sadness like he'd seen when they left Coruscant, merely handing the comm back with a sad smile before closing his eyes and falling asleep, leaving him wondering just what was happening between them.

And after that, there was the trouble on Mandalore that Obi-wan had gone to investigate, ending with them fighting for their lives against assassin probes and battle droids as they escorted the Duchess to Coruscant.

Then had come several smaller campaign failures and the losses of entire battalions and their Jedi Generals and Commanders.

And finally, there was the attempt on Master Windu's life, which had wound up leaving them stranded and injured on some desolate world until rescue arrived.

Which was why he was stuck in the halls of healing this time, confined to bed rest for several days while his body healed, with nothing to do but read reports, which irritated all the more because he was mostly healed by now, but the healers were being overcautious as usual.

And he didn't even have Ahsoka to keep him company, she was on her way to Mandalore to teach something to the students her age there.

The next report came from the 41st and he held his breath as he opened it, letting out a sigh of relief when all it said was that the campaign was proceeding well, that it should be over in a week and scrolling down he found even better news, Sev'rance Tann had been sighted and apparently injured when she led an attack on Barriss's position. There wasn't anything else, which made him feel even better because it meant Barriss had got through the encounter without injury.

"Finally some good news," he said quietly to himself.

“What was that?” Obi-wan asked, walking in, with Anni following close behind.

“Barriss and her company fought off Tann's attack,” he said.

“Ahh, that's good,” Obi-wan said. “And I'm glad to see you're looking...”

"Less awful?" Anni suggested.

"Yes," Obi-wan smirked, while Anakin just raised an eyebrow at her. "But that's not what brought us here," he continued. "Our spies report that General Grevious is preparing a full scale invasion of Kamino, we ship out immediately."

“Finally,” Anakin sighed, getting to his feet. “If I was stuck in here any longer I would've gone crazy.”

"You're already crazy," Anni informed him matter of factly as they left the hall of healing. "That's why you spend so much time in here."

"If that's the case, I better rub some off," Anakin smirked, ruffling Anni's purple hair.

"Ugh," she groaned, trying to get away from him. "Master, make him stop."

"Anakin..." Obi-wan smirked.

"Yes Master?" he asked, grinning as he held Anni in place.

"You missed a spot."

  


* * *

  


The trip to Kamino took a day and was uneventful, giving him plenty of time to send a message to Barriss, just asking how she was doing and what he'd been up to since they last spoke almost a month ago. He couldn't say everything he wanted to, just in case they were being monitored in some way, but he implied as much as he dared before finishing the message and hitting send.

And upon their arrival, he left the 501st's deployment to Rex, saying he knew the city far better than he did and would do a better job preparing the defences. Obi-wan said the same to Cody, before they, with Anni following along behind them, headed to the command centre to meet with Shaak Ti and the other Commanders in the city to oversee the city's preparations and discuss strategies for any potential tactics Grevious might use. 

They'd covered anything even remotely possible by the time Rex and Cody had joined them, and had what they thought was a pretty solid plan.

Now, all they had to do was wait.

Not his best skill, Anakin conceded as he waited in the cockpit of his fighter.

He didn't have to wait long though, barely half an hour later, Obi-wan came over the comm.

_“Anakin, Grevious's fleet has just left hyperspace, you're cleared to engage.”_

“Thank you, Master,” he replied, throwing full power into his idling ship, before firing his thrusters and racing from the hanger.

As he rose up into the atmosphere squadron after squadron launched and followed him up.

“All wings, form up on me,” Anakin ordered as they raced towards the enemy.

He received various acknowledgements back and smiled grimly.

“Alright boys, lets give 'em hell.”

  


* * *

  


Several hours later, Anakin walked back into the command centre, feeling very pleased with himself.

“Well, that was easy,” he said as he rejoined Obi-wan and the others.

“Yes, too easy,” Obi-wan said. “I don't like it.”

“What's not to like about it?” Anakin asked.

“The way he sacrificed his fleet like that, and the amount of debris that fell around here was unusual,” Obi-wan replied.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, go take a look,” he smirked.

“Alright then, I will,” Obi-wan said, before turning to his Padawan. “Anni, if anything happens stick with Cody, okay?”

“Yes Master,” she nodded.

Obi-wan gave her a small smile, then turned and headed for the door.

"Shouldn't take too long," he said over his shoulder as he left.

About an hour later, they were all still in the command centre, watching as Obi-wan went deeper into the ocean when there was a sudden hail of blaster fire.

_“Aqua droids!”_ Obi-wan shouted, before they lost contact with him.

Anni looked worried, but he could sense Obi-wan was fine and he ordered his men to action.

“Anni, stay with Cody,” he said as he ran from the command centre.

She nodded, fingering her lightsaber as the sounds of battle rose from outside.

He rushed to the closest sounds, drawing his lightsaber and helping the troopers there fight off the aqua droids that had swarmed inside.

Once he'd made sure that position was secured, he moved on to the next, slicing through the droids that filled the hallways as he fought his way through.

Taking out the last few, he nodded to the men defending that corridor and was just about to run off to the next fight, when one of them stopped him.

“Sir,” he said. “Ventress is heading for the cloning chambers.”

He grimaced.

“Tell them I'm on my way,” he ordered, already running in that direction.

He quickly found the path she'd taken, littered with destruction and the bodies of those that had got in her way.

Gritting his teeth, he followed it down into the genetics room, catching her just as she removed a capsule from the storage machine. 

"Skywalker," she smirked. "So good to see you again, but where's your pet, I have unfinished business with her."

He bother to respond, instead he just launched himself at her and she only just got her lightsabers up in time to block his attack.

They exchanged a few more blows before she managed to trip him somehow and escape through the open door.

Kicking himself, he chased after her and managed to catch up to her in the hanger, only to have her escape by leaping onto a passing ship.

Sighing in frustration, he left to help finish the battle.

Three hours later, feeling tired and more than a little irritated at the fact that Grevious and Ventress had both escaped again, Anakin wandered through the battle damaged cloning facility, looking for Obi-wan, Rex and the others.

He found them in one of the lower hangers, clearing up and discussing the battle.

“What'd I miss?” he asked as he reached the group of Commanders, Jedi and a rather injured looking clone.

“Oh, the usual,” Obi-wan smirked.

“The droids breached the cadets barracks and only Commander Chanti, Cody, Echo, Fives, myself and Ninety-nine were in a position to stop them,” Rex supplied. “And we enlisted the help of some cadets to repel them,” he added, nodding towards Anni.

“Ahh, she seems to have made quite an impression,” Anakin noted, raising an eyebrow at the group of heavily armed cadets that were gathered around her, all talking animatedly while she smiled and nodded at whatever they were saying.

“Yes Sir, they were very impressed, they've never seen a Jedi fight before,” Rex replied.

“I'll bet,” Anakin smirked.

“And without Ninety-nine we probably would have lost that fight,” he went on.

“I only did my duty Sir,” Ninety-nine said modestly.

“And did it very well I imagine,” Anakin said, clapping him on the shoulder.

“That he did,” Cody put in. “I'm recommending him for a medal of bravery.”

Ninety-nine looked embarrassed, but smiled all the same.

“Thank you Commander,” he mumbled, looking at his feet.

“You've earned it,” Cody replied, as his comm chimed.

“Excuse me,” he said, stepping away.

Ninety-nine muttered something about seeing to repairs in the barracks and left as well.

“Was there anything else I needed to know?” Anakin asked the two remaining men.

“No, but their was something I wanted to ask you General,” Rex said.

“Go ahead,” Anakin said.

“Fives and Echo performed exceptionally well today, I'd like to recommend them for Arc Trooper training.”

“Alright,” Anakin agreed, “I'm sure they'll be happy to hear it.”

“Thank you Sir,” Rex said and went to tell them.

That left just him and Obi-wan there, watching the organised chaos around them, though mainly, they watched Anni and her new friends.

“She's doing very well,” Anakin commented after a bit, “You must be proud.”

“Yes, I am,” Obi-wan said. “And I never thanked you, I didn't realise how much I missed teaching till she came along, it's a welcome reprieve from all the fighting.”

“What are former Padawan's for?” Anakin smirked, then his expression sobered.

“I never thanked you for assigning me Ahsoka either.”

“We'll call it even then,” Obi-wan said as the cadets saluted Anni, who returned it with a serious expression before they marched away and she came running up to them.

“I see you've made some new friends,” Obi-wan commented.

“Yeah, that was Mynock squad,” she smiled, turning to watch them as they left the hanger.

“They seem like nice young men,” Anakin said with a grin.

“Yeah, they fought really well and...” she trailed off, looking at him suspiciously.

But he just smiled innocently, so she turned back to Obi-wan.

“What's the plan now Master?” she asked, folding her hands in her robes.

“We were just about to discuss that,” Obi-wan said. “The council has picked up a signal using an ancient Jedi encryption. We're to pick up Ahsoka and investigate while Cody takes the Negotiator ahead.”

“What about my forces?” Anakin asked.

“They're to return to Coruscant and await orders, there's a campaign in the works but it's light on details at the moment.”

“Alright, I'll inform my men, do we want to take the Resolute to pick up Ahsoka?” Anakin asked.

“Why not, then we can take a shuttle from there and meet up with the Negotiator at the transmission site.”

“Alright then, I'll go tell Rex,” Anakin said and walked away.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and Anni investigate the unknown signal, while Barriss and Luminara wrap up their campaign on Thalhurst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I really hated this chapter.

The Resolute left hyperspace at the rendezvous coordinates to find Ahsoka's transport already awaiting their arrival.

It was quickly given clearance to land and Anakin stepped up to the shuttle once it had landed to greet his Padawan, he'd missed having her around.

The ramp lowered and she bounded down, her usual grin on her face, which only widened when she spotted him.

“Master,” she greeted him cheerfully, “Mission successful.”

“Good to hear,” he smiled, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “You didn't miss much, we just routed an invasion attempt by Grevious on Kamino.”

“What! And you didn't invite me?” she demanded.

“No, sorry, there wasn't time,” he smirked.

“Typical,” she muttered and he laughed.

“What our mission?” she asked after a moment of silence as he led them to the shuttle Obi-wan and Anni were preparing.

“We've detected a signal using an ancient Jedi encryption and the council has asked us to investigate on our way back to Coruscant.”

“And we're leaving straight away?” she asked, as they came in sight of the shuttle.

“Yeah, why?” he asked.

“I was just hoping to catch up with...” she trailed off, reaching out into the force, looking for something or someone.

Then her expression turned panicked as she couldn't find whatever it was.

She turned to him, desperation in her eyes.

“Where's Fives?” she asked. “I can't feel him, he's not...” she gulped.

“No, Fives is fine,” he assured her. “He's still on Kamino getting Arc training, but he'll meet us back on Coruscant before our next campaign.”

“Oh,” she let out a sigh of relief. “I was just...” she trailed off again.

“It's alright,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “I understand, we've lost too many friends already.”

She looked relieved as she turned to him but didn't say anything as they reached the shuttle.

“Ahsoka, you're back!” Anni exclaimed, coming down the ramp to greet them.

“Yeah, what'd I miss?” Ahsoka asked, giving her fellow Padawan a hug.

Anni excitedly launched into an explanation as she and Ahsoka boarded the shuttle.

Anakin followed them up and joined Obi-wan in the cockpit.

“All set?” Obi-wan asked.

“Yep,” he answered and began the preflight checks.

Once they were done, he got clearance from control and took off, flying them out of the hanger and into space.

He put in the coordinates of the signal location, then they jumped to hyperspace.

  


* * *

  


"That's the last of them General, Thalhurst is liberated from Separatist occupation," Gree informed them, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Barriss couldn't blame him as she looked around the city they'd just "liberated". After three days of intense fighting.

Half of it was in ruins and the rest would need major repairs before it's residents could move back, if there were any left to do so.

And judging by the number of bodies that littered the streets, she doubted it would be any time soon.

"Thank you Commander," Luminara said quietly. "Contact Senator Organa, tell him he's clear to begin relief efforts."

"Yes General," Gree nodded and left to see to it.

There was silence for a while as Master and Padawan looked around the destruction.

Finally, Barriss spoke.

"What's the point of all this?" she asked. "All this death and destruction, what is it achieving?"

"I don't know anymore Barriss," Luminara answered tiredly.

"I though we were fighting to protect the galaxy from the Separatists, but we're becoming like them, I thought we were suppose to be the peace keepers," Barriss continued.

Luminara sighed.

"Me too," she said quietly, and neither of them said anything else as they looked out over the still smoking ruins of the once great city.

Soon after, Senator Organa's aid ships began landing and Barriss and Luminara went to see what they could do to help before they pulled out the following afternoon.

Barriss picked her way through the ruins, healing those she could and helping those she couldn't to the field hospitals being set up.

By nightfall she was exhausted and didn't even stop to eat something before she returned to her tent.

She crawled into her bedroll and pulled out her holocom, recording a quick message to Anakin before sending it off and falling into an uneasy sleep.

  


* * *

  


"If you don't believe me, ask our Masters."

“But that's ridiculous though, it can't be true,” Ahsoka retorted, making Anakin sigh.

It had been a long trip to the where the signal had come from and their Padawans had been good the entire time, at least up until whatever had started this argument.

“It is, I looked it up when we were last at the temple,” Anni replied calmly, though he could sense the amusement she was feeling at winding up Ahsoka.

“Master!” Ahsoka yelled, storming in from the passenger bay to the cockpit, followed by a grinning Anni.

“What is it Ahsoka?” He asked, holding in another sigh as he and Obi-wan turned to face their Apprentices.

“Anni says that because she's Obi-wan's Padawan she technically outranks me, but that's ridiculous because I've been a Padawan a lot longer than her,” Ahsoka told him, looking at him like he was about to prove her point and she could rub it in Anni's face.

“Well, she's right, from a certain point of view,” Obi-wan said before he could respond. “If we look at our lineage from a family perspective, Anakin and Anni would be my children, you would be Anakin's daughter, which also makes you Anni's niece and her your Aunt.”

“What!” Ahsoka exclaimed, turning in disbelief from Obi-wan to him. “That's not true, is it Master?” She asked, looking hopeful.

“Ahh,” he shrugged. “Well, if Obi-wan says it is, it must be,” he said, looking apologetic.

“Told you,” Anni cackled, as Ahsoka retreated back to the cabin, growling under her breath.

“Is that actually true?” Anakin asked as Anni chased after Ahsoka.

“Of course,” Obi-wan said with a serious nod.

Something about his tone told Anakin he wasn't being quite truthful, but when he glanced at his former Master he couldn't see anything to suggest he wasn't telling the truth.

But then, this was Obi-wan, after all.

Shaking that thought from his mind as the hyperdrive began chiming, he began preparing to leave hyperspace.

“Coming up on the coordinates now,” he said, dropping them out of hyperspace as Anni and Ahsoka returned to the cockpit.

The lines of hyperspace quickly reverted to normal as the ship left hyperspace to find nothing there at all. Not even the Negotiator.

Obi-wan tried hailing them as Ahsoka ran a full sensor sweep of the area.

“Nothing,” Ahsoka said, when the scan came back negative. “I'm not picking up anything at all.”

“Odd,” Obi-wan said to himself as the comm crackled.

 _“General Kenobi, this is Negotiator, go ahead,”_ a familiar voice said.

“Cody,” Obi-wan replied. “We're at the coordinates, where are you?”

_“Sir, we're at the coordinates but there's no sign of you, are you sure you're reading your position correctly?”_

“We're sure,” Anakin answered, double checking the nav computer. “There's nothing here.”

_“Hold on, we're picking up an anomaly that's-”_

The rest of what Cody said was lost as a burst of static scrambled his voice before the comm unit died.

“They're in trouble,” Ahsoka said with a worried expression.

“We have to help them,” Anni said urgently.

“Already on it,” Anakin muttered, firing up the ships engines and turning the ship around.

Or rather, he tried to, but the ship didn't respond to his commands.

“It's not responding,” he said, a hint of worry in his tone as they all felt something appear in the space in front of their ship.

“What is that?” Ahsoka asked, trying to make it out.

“I don't know,” Obi-wan muttered as the ship shuddered and began racing towards whatever it was.

“I can't stop us,” Anakin hissed as he fought with the controls.

Suddenly, whatever it was in front of them opened, shining a blinding light into the cockpit.

“Master?” Anni said fearfully as they drew closer and closer to it.

“We'll be alright Anni,” Obi-wan said soothingly as they reached the light.

Then everything went black as darkness overwhelmed them and they knew no more.

  


* * *

  


Consciousness returned slowly to Anakin, like waking up from a deep sleep as his mind struggled to recall what had happened.

When it did, he snapped awake and took a quick look around.

Everyone was still in the cockpit and somehow they'd landed in what looked like a clearing on a mountainside.

“Wake up,” he said urgently, shaking Obi-wan's shoulder.

“Go away,” Obi-wan mumbled and Anakin would have laughed if their situation had been different.

“Come on Master,” he said instead, giving him another shake as Ahsoka and Anni began to stir. “We need to figure out what just happened and how we landed safely.”

That got his attention.

Obi-wan sat upright, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he looked around.

“Where are we,” he asked?

“Haven't got a clue,” Anakin replied. “But somehow we managed to land safely while all of us were unconscious.”

“Maybe we should have a look around,” Ahsoka suggested, getting up from her seat. “Figure out what this place is.”

“And why it feels so strange,” Anni added as she followed Ahsoka out.

As she said that, Anakin realised that the place did feel strange, almost unnaturally strong in the force, but neither light nor dark.

Frowning thoughtfully, he followed Obi-wan out the door and lowered the ramp so that they could get outside.

Outside, it was pleasantly warm, peaceful even, but that only added to their confusion. There had been nothing even remotely like this within a light year of where they'd been.

“Any ideas of where we could be?” Anakin asked Obi-wan as they looked around.

“No,” Obi-wan said thoughtfully. “And a world this strong in the force would be on our records somewhere if it had been discovered.”

“Great,” Anakin muttered. “We're on an undiscovered world who knows where and-” he stopped as the sun dimmed, changing the light to that of mid afternoon, and watched as all the plant life seemed to wither slightly as it did. “And now all the plant life is dying.”

“What do you thinks wrong with them?” Anni asked with concern, backing away from the plants she'd been looking at and towards them as Ahsoka did the same.

“I don't know,” Anakin answered, wishing Barriss was here, she'd know what was happening to everything.

“You can not stay here,” a woman's voice said suddenly from behind them, making them all spin around, lightsabers drawn.

There was a woman floating there, but unlike any woman they'd ever seen before, one glowed with a strange light and who appeared to be very strong in the force if her force signature was any indication.

“Who are you?” Anakin demanded.

“I am the daughter,” the woman replied. “And you can not stay here, it isn't safe after dark. Come with me, I will take you to the Father, you will be safe there,” she added, turning and floating away.

“What do you think?” Anakin asked Obi-wan.

“I don't think we have much choice,” Obi-wan replied as they landscape withered a bit more around them. “If what she says is true, we don't want to be here after dark.”

So reluctantly they began to follow after her, their Padawans sticking close to their sides.

After a while, they came to a cliff, with a small, narrow path running around the edge which the woman floated onto and beaconed them to follow.

Anakin went first, followed by Anni, then Ahsoka, with Obi-wan bringing up the rear.

Things were fine until they were about halfway across, when a landslide came down. Anakin grabbed Anni and dived forwards to get out of the way of the falling rocks, while Ahsoka and Obi-wan retreated backwards.

“Obi-wan!” Anakin shouted as the dust settled.

“We're fine!” Obi-wan's response came back. “But we're cut off, we can't reach you.”

“We must keep moving,” the Daughter said. “It will be dark soon and we don't want to be caught out in the open.”

“We'll head back to the ship then and try and regroup in the morning!” Obi-wan shouted.

“Okay,” Anakin shouted back. “Be careful.”

“You too, and take care of Anni!”

“I will,” Anakin promised.

“Come, there is not much time,” the Daughter insisted, leading them on again.

So they set off again and Anakin didn't say anything when Anni took his hand as they rounded a corner and began descending into a valley.

At the far end of it, he could see a palace of some kind, which seemed to be the Daughter's destination.

When they eventually reached it, the light was all but gone and the land had changed to something out of a nightmare.

“Go inside,” the Daughter told them. “My father is expecting you and he must have a very good reason for bringing you here, it is not wise to keep him waiting.”

“Your father?” Anakin asked, but she was already gone.

“I suppose we see what's inside then,” Anakin said, putting a cheerful note into his voice to reassure Anni.

“Yeah,” Anni said, letting go of his hand and looking back the way they'd come. “I hope my Master and Ahsoka are okay.”

“They'll be fine,” he replied. “We've gotten through far worse situations.”

“I hope so,” she said quietly.

“They will be,” he promised, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She smiled up at him and together, they went inside.

The inside was just as imposing as the outside, with a massive hall, barely lit by eery lighting, that directly from the doors.

At the far end of the room, they could see a figure sitting upon a throne of carved stone, someone ancient, by the looks of his hair, Anakin thought as they approached him.

“Welcome, my friend,” the man said when they reached him.

“Ah, hello,” Anakin replied, feeling confused. Anni remained silent. “Why did you bring us here?”

“To learn the truth of who you really are,” the man replied, standing up. “Something I think you have known for a long time now.”

“What do you mean?” Anakin asked, starting to feel annoyed.

“It is getting late,” the man said, ignoring him. “Rest now, you will be my guests tonight, all will be explained in the morning.”

And without another word, he led them down a another hallway and showed them into what Anakin assumed was the guest room, not that he imagined they got a lot of visitors out here.

He waved them inside and left them to it.

Anni looked around nervously, then sat down on one of the bedrolls, pulling the blankets up around her as Anakin did the same on the other bed.

“What do we do now?” She asked.

“Not much we can do, except wait for morning and try and sleep. But we're safe here I think,” he answered.

“Are you sure?” Anni replied, looking nervously at the door.

“Yeah, if they wanted to do anything, they would have done it by now,” he said reassuringly. “Try get some sleep, I'll keep watch just in case.”

“Okay,” Anni nodded, lying down and closing her eyes.

Soon, her soft snores filled the room and Anakin smiled to himself, before closing his own eyes and falling into a meditative state so he could get some rest while still being alert enough to react to any danger.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting like that when he felt a presence enter the room.

His eyes snapped open and he was already drawing his lightsaber when he froze in shock as he recognised the figure.

“Barriss?” He asked in confusion, there was something not quite right about her. “No, who are you?”

“Hello Anakin,” she smiled, ignoring his question. “There's something important I need to tell you.”

“What?” He asked, standing up.

“Not everyone is what they seem, someone you know hides great darkness inside them.”

“Who?” He demanded.

“I can't say,” Barriss said with a sad smile. “But the most important thing is that I love you and nothing will ever change that.”

Then she faded away, as if she'd never been there, leaving Anakin wondering exactly what she'd been and what she meant with her warning.

“What was that?” Anni asked suddenly, almost giving him a heart attack.

“I don't know,” he said, once he'd recovered. “Nothing here makes sense.”

“It looked like Barriss,” Anni went on, turning to look at him, a knowing smile on her face. “And I coulda sworn I heard her say I love you.”

Anakin stiffened, then turned to stare blankly at her. 

“I don't think so,” he replied calmly. “You must have miss heard it.”

“Maybe I did,” she mused, lying back down, but he didn't like the way her grin widened.

“Come on, back to sleep,” he told her. “We don't know what we might be facing tomorrow.”

Then lay back down on his bed and wrapped himself in his covers, ignoring Anni's quiet giggles as forced himself to go to sleep.

  


* * *

  


Early the next morning, the Father came to get them and led them outside without saying a word.

They followed him down into an arena like space and looked around.

“This is where you will prove who you really are,” the Father said when he stopped.

“What do you mean who I really am?” Anakin asked, confused.

“I mean whether or not you are the chosen one, for only the chosen one can control both my children.”

As he said that, two bat like creatures descended from the sky, with Obi-wan and Ahsoka struggling in their claws as they landed on opposite sides of the arena.

“Whatever he wants, don't give it to him Master,” Ahsoka shouted as she struggled.

“Let them go,” Anakin demanded. “I will not play your games.”

“Oh, but I think you will,” the Father said as he vanished and reappeared in the stands of the arena. “I have ordered my children to kill your friends. The question is which one will you choose to save?”

Anni let out a quiet whimper at that, looking between Ahsoka and Obi-wan with a worried expression.

“Your Master, or your Apprentice?” The Father finished.

“NO!” Anakin shouted.

“Their powers are too strong for us!” Obi-wan shouted. “Save Ahsoka!”

“Let them go!” He demanded again as Ahsoka let out a cry of pain.

“Only you can make my children release them,” the Father said calmly.

“Anakin, the planet is the force,” Obi-wan said encouragingly. “Use it.”

Anakin nodded and closed his eyes, feeling the force surge to meet him and when he opened his eyes again, he almost smiled. This was going to be easy, he thought as he drew on the force and sent waves of power towards both the children, seizing them with the force.

The world changed around him as everything went dark, except for the arena, which glowed with an ethereal light as he poured his will into the creatures, forcing them to release their captives.

Anni ran straight to Obi-wan, relief pouring off her as she helped him back to his feet while Ahsoka ran to him, drawing her lightsaber as her creature tried to attack her again.

“Oh no you don't,” he muttered to himself, blasting both creatures against the arena walls, then force pulling them towards him.

“On your knees!” He commanded as he forced them back into their human forms.

Unable to resist, they knelt before him.

And as they did so, the world returned to normal and the sky lightened again.

“Now you see who you truly are,” the Father said, reappearing beside him again. “Only the Chosen One can tame both my children.”

“I have taken your test, now fulfil your promise and let us go,” Anakin said irritably as Obi-wan and Anni came over to join him and Ahsoka.

“Ahh, but first, you must understand the truth,” the Father said. “Now, all of you leave us,” he commanded.

“Do not trust him,” Ahsoka whispered as she turned to leave.

“Ya think?” He replied sarcastically.

“I said leave us,” the father said again and his children left too.

“Now,” he went on. “Do you feel your destiny? You must see it now, I am dying and you must replace me.”

Shock went through Anakin.

“Replace you?” He asked incredulously. “I can't stay here.”

“But... this is yours, it has been foretold that the Chosen One will keep my children in balance.”

“No,” Anakin said, backing away, the thought of never seeing Barriss again coming to his mind.

“I cannot force you to do this,” the Father sighed. “The choice must be yours. But leave, and your selfishness will haunt you and the galaxy.”

Anakin winced, he didn't like the sound of that, but he couldn't stay, too many people were counting on him, especially Barriss and Ahsoka, he couldn't abandon them.

“I can't, I'm sorry,” he said. “Too many people are counting on me to help win this war, I can't just abandon them.”

“That is your choice,” the Father said sadly. “But it will cause great suffering in the future.”

“Not if I can help it,” Anakin promised.

The Father sighed again.

“Go, your friends await you.”

“Thank you,” Anakin replied, bowing respectfully before running off to where he could sense them.

He found them on a landing pad, where their shuttle stood, waiting for him.

“Ready to get out of here?” Obi-wan asked as he ran up.

“Yeah,” he said, looking back one last time before following them up the ramp.

He went straight to the cockpit and powered up the ship, lifting them off and heading for what he assumed was space, wanting to get out of there before the Father changed his mind.

As he did, he got a strange feeling that something was following them.

“Take over for a minute,” he said to Obi-wan, before heading back to the cabin where Ahsoka and Anni were talking quietly.

“Hey Master,” Ahsoka said from where she was sitting, near the main door.

“Hey,” he said back vaguely, focusing on what he could sense.

Suddenly it was right there and before he could react, the door opened and the Son flew aboard and grabbed Ahsoka, who let out a startled yep.

“No!” Anakin hissed, reaching out with the force and taking hold of the Son, forcing him to release Ahsoka.

“Get off my ship,” Anakin growled, hurling the Son back out again and closing the door behind him.

“Thanks,” Ahsoka gasped from where she lay on the floor.

“What was that?” Obi-wan asked from the cockpit.

“Unwanted guest,” Anakin replied, helping Ahsoka to her feet and checking her over for any injuries.

“I'm fine,” she muttered, though she didn't try to stop him.

“Just making sure,” he smiled.

The rest of the trip out went without incident and they were surprised but pleased to find the Negotiator waiting for them and Cody almost frantically trying to reach them.

Anakin let Obi-wan handle that and the explanations when they docked. Telling Ahsoka to take it easy till they got back to Coruscant, he went straight to his assigned quarters.

Forgoing a shower, he slumped down on his bed and pulled out his holo comm.

There was one new message from Barriss waiting for him, just a quick one, telling him how she was doing, a mention of her fight with Sev'rance Tann and how exhausted she felt from the constant fighting, something he could tell just from looking at her holo.

It hurt in ways he couldn't describe to see her look that tired, that... worn down.

When her message finished, he made a quick one of his own, telling her he was returning to Coruscant and that they could do something special together if she wanted to next time they were together.

He sent that off, then his lack of sleep caught up to him and he fell asleep to the sounds of the ship humming.

  


* * *

  


Barriss surveyed the temporary city that had been built for the surviving citizens of the city, cringing at the waves of misery coming from it.

“Barriss,” Luminara said, interrupting her thoughts. “Time to go.”

Barriss nodded but didn't move.

“I wish there was more we could do for them,” she said quietly.

“I know,” Luminara said. “But Senator Organa has everything under control and the council has requested we return as soon as possible.”

“Alright,” Barriss sighed and followed her Master to the waiting gunship.

They didn't talk as they flew up to their flagship and as soon as they'd landed, Barriss excused herself and went to find what was left of her company.

She found them easily enough, they were where they always were after a hard mission, in the lower deck mess, eating and drinking whatever they could get their hands on and trying to talk away the latest horrors they'd seen.

“Hey guys,” she said quietly, taking a seat at her usual table with Nexu, Russ, Switcher and a couple of others she couldn't remember.

“Hey Commander,” they replied numbly, all looking shattered, their armour still dirty from all the recent fighting.

“Where's Bev?” She asked.

“Passed out in his bunk, where you should be,” Switcher said sternly. “Because, no offence, but you look awful.”

“Thanks,” she said drily, raising an eyebrow at him. “And you don't look any better.”

“No, but the ladies love the rough look,” he smirked.

“Shut up Switcher,” Russ groaned. “I don't want to hear that story again.”

“You're just jealous,” Switcher retorted, and when Russ didn't respond he grinned triumphantly at Barriss.

“I don't want to know,” she muttered, rubbing a hand over her eyes and getting to her feet. “I'll see you tomorrow then.”

“Goodnight Commander,” they replied as she walked off.

She headed straight for her quarters and stumbled inside, pausing only to peel off her filthy robes before collapsing onto her bed.

After she'd lay there for a while, enjoying the comfort the puny mattress provided after a month sleeping rough, she rolled over and fished out her holocomm from her discarded belt and found a new message from Anakin.

Smiling softly to herself, she brought up the message and pressed play.

There wasn't much to it, just a hello and informing her that he was on his way back to Coruscant and that he hoped they could do something together if they were both there, but his smile, and they way he said “I love you” at the end still brought a warm feeling to her heart.

“I love you too,” she whispered, holding the comm close to her heart as she closed her eyes and fell instantly asleep.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief interlude at the temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting back on track with my writing again, hopefully I'll be able to update more regularly now.

As their gunship landed at the temple, Barriss couldn't help smiling as she followed her master off and into the temple. It felt good to be home again and it would feel even better when Anakin arrived some time tomorrow.

“Someone's feeling happy,” Luminara said drily as they left the hanger.

“It's just good to be home again,” Barriss replied, choosing to ignore her master's tone.

“And I bet it has nothing to do with Anakin returning tomorrow as well,” Luminara said with a smirk.

Barriss spluttered but didn't deny it and Luminara laughed quietly.

“I know how you feel,” she added quietly. “The longer this war goes on, the harder it is sometimes,” Luminara continued, almost to herself.

Then she shook herself slightly.

“Enough talk about misery,” she said. “Do you have any plans for our time here?”

“No, not at the moment,” Barriss replied. “I was going to wait till tomorrow.”

“A wise choice,” Luminara said with a mysterious smile.

“What do you mean?” Barriss asked curiously.

“You'll find out,” Luminara said with another smile. “I have to speak to the council now, but could you meet me in the Knights hallway in four hours, there's something we need to discuss.”

“Of course Master,” Barriss nodded.

“Alright, I'll see you then,” Luminara said with a nod, before walking away, leaving Barriss alone in the hall.

Barriss watched her walk away, frowning slightly at the feeling of anticipation coming from her master.

Deciding it wasn't any of her business though, she turned and headed for the library to borrow a few holo books on advanced mind healing techniques she'd been wanting to learn before heading to her quarters.

Once there, she left the books on the living room table and went to have a shower, looking forward to decent water pressure and actually hot water after the pathetic cruiser ones and the puddles they used on the front lines.

After an extra long shower, which turn her skin more red than green, she got out and dressed in fresh, clean robes for the first time in a while and returned to the living room. 

There she sat down and began looking through the first holo book, Treating Mental Battle Trauma, frowning in concentration as she began to read. 

She read until it was almost time to meet her Master and left the book on the table as she got ready to leave.

When she was ready, she left their quarters and headed down to where Luminara asked her to meet her.

She arrived there precisely on time, but Luminara was nowhere to be seen.

“It's not like you to be late Master,” Barriss muttered, an amused smile on her face as she looked around, only briefly glancing at the ancient doors to her right.

She stood there for a few minutes and was debating comming her Master when there was a sudden noise from behind her and she turned to find the large, ancient doors opening to reveal a dark room.

“Enter Padawan Offee,” a voice that sounded like Master Yoda's called.

With only a moment of hesitation, she walked inside and the doors closed behind her, plunging the room into pitch darkness.

She took a couple more steps forward and stopped, heart racing. This was exactly what Anakin had told her had happened when he was knighted.

Around her, half a dozen lightsabers sprung to life and she saw her Master standing beside Master Yoda, a proud smile on her face.

“Step forward,” Yoda ordered.

She stepped up to him.

“Kneel,” he commanded.

She knelt, heart racing, struggling to keep a smile off her face.

“Padawan Offee, through your bravery and unwavering dedication to duty in these hard times, the council has found you, and your Master agrees, worthy of the title Jedi Knight,” Yoda said, bring his lightsaber down over each of her shoulders.

“Rise, Knight Offee.”

She rose slowly, still not quite believing it had happened and glanced at her now former Master.

Luminara was looking at her with more pride than she'd ever seen before and she could have sworn her eyes looked a little watery.

“Now,” Yoda continued, in a more amused tone. “Celebrate, you and your Master, I'm sure you would like too.”

“Thank you Master,” Barriss said with a small bow and a glance at Luminara, who gave her a nod.

Luminara stepped forward and jerked her head at the door and headed for it.

Barriss turned around and followed her, quickening her stride so they walked side by side out of the room.

“Congratulations,” Luminara said when they paused outside the room. “You've earned it and I'm proud of you.”

“Thank you Master,” Barriss replied, trying and failing to keep a grin off her face.

“What would you like to do to celebrate?” Luminara asked as the doors closed behind them.

“I don't know,” Barriss admitted, “What did you do when you were knighted?”

“Ahh...” Luminara said, going faintly pink. “I'll tell you another time.”

“Oh, what happened?” Barriss grinned.

“It's not something to talk about in public,” Luminara replied, going pinker.

“Very well then,” Barriss said, doing a remarkable impression of Obi-wan's voice, making Luminara groan.

“You've been a Knight all of three minutes and already it's started,” she complained good naturedly.

“Anakin's a bad influence,” Barriss grinned.

Luminara just shook her head.

“There is one place I know of that's quite nice,” Luminara suggested after a moment “It's a relatively quiet place, with great food, music and some interesting entertainment.”

“Sounds like a good start,” Barriss smiled and they headed off.

  


* * *

  


When Barriss opened her eyes the next morning, she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

She was a Jedi Knight now and Anakin was coming back today, she couldn't wait to tell him.

And she was also going to get her own quarters today, she remembered, as bit of her and Luminara's conversation from last night returned to her.

Still smiling, she got out of bed and got dressed before heading out to where Luminara was waiting with breakfast.

“Good morning, Master,” Barriss grinned as she joined her at the table.

“Morning Barriss,” Luminara smiled, passing her a plate of toast. “How's the order's newest Knight feeling?”

“Pretty good,” she admitted, helping herself to the food. “Though I'm not sure what I'm going to do now?”

“What do you want to do?” Luminara asked.

“Um...” Barriss muttered around a mouthful, before swallowing. “I think I'd like to take some advanced healing courses before I go back to the fighting.”

“A sound idea,” Luminara nodded. “Any in particular?”

“The mind healing ones look quite good and they'll come in handy once this is all over,” Barriss said quietly.

“Yes, they will,” Luminara sighed.

They finished the rest of their breakfast in silence and Luminara stood up.

“I've got take care of a few things, but I'll meet you in the hanger when Obi-Wan and Anakin get back,” she said.

“Okay,” Barriss nodded and Luminara left.

Barriss took it easy for the rest of the morning, just reading and figuring out what she wanted to study first, until she got a message from Anakin saying they were about to arrive.

She sent a quick message to Luminara, before hurrying down to the hanger, drawing funny looks from the other Jedi she rushed past as her excitement grew.

When she arrived, their shuttle hadn't landed yet but she could sense them approaching and stood patiently by the door, waiting for them to arrive.

Only a few minutes later, their shuttle entered the hanger and settled down gently in one of the landing bays.

She walked over to it as the ramp came down, smiling as Anni and Ahsoka came bounding out.

“Hey Barriss,” Ahsoka said when she spotted her. “When did you get back?”

“Yesterday,” Barriss replied, giving her friend a hug as they reached each other. “Hey Anni,” she added.

“Hello Barriss,” Anni said, looking hesitantly at them till Barriss pulled her into a hug too.

“How're you finding being a Padawan?” Barriss asked, releasing her.

“It's great,” Anni grinned. “Though I wish there wasn't so much fighting,” she added more soberly.

“Me too,” Barriss said with a sad smile, though it didn't dim her excitement for long.

“What's got you so excited?” Ahsoka asked suddenly, looking at her curiously.

“I'll tell you in a minute,” Barriss grinned as Obi-wan and Anakin came down the ramp.

“Hello Barriss,” Obi-wan smiled.

“Hey,” Anakin grinned, then his eyes narrowed. “What's all the excitement about?”

Barriss's smile widened.

“I got Knighted,” she announced.

“Wow, congratulations,” Anakin said with a huge smile over Ahsoka and Anni's exclamations.

“Thank you,” Barriss said as he enveloped her in a hug.

She relaxed into it and just enjoyed the feeling of his arms around her again, till Obi-wan cleared his throat and they pulled back, and Barriss noticed Anni looking at them with a knowing smile.

A smile that only widened when Barriss narrowed her eyes at her and the girl winked back.

She'd have to ask Anakin about that later.

“You've probably already done something with Luminara, but would you allow us to take you out to celebrate with all of us?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Sure,” Barriss smiled. “Ahsoka and Anni haven't experienced Dex's milkshakes yet, why don't we go there?”

“Good idea,” Obi-wan agreed.

“What is?” Luminara asked as she walked up to them, smiling faintly at Obi-Wan.

“Barriss suggested we all go down to Dex's in celebration of her Knighthood,” Obi-Wan told her.

“An excellent idea,” Luminara said. “It's been too long since I've been back there.”

So with that agreed to, the returning Jedi headed to their quarters to put away their bags before returning to the hanger and borrowing a speeder to fly to Dex's.

Dex was surprised, but delighted to see them all again and greeted Ahsoka and Anni with great enthusiasm, wanting to hear all about what they'd been up to in the year since he'd last seen them.

He ushered them into a booth and it ended up being her, Anakin and Ahsoka on one side and Anni, Luminara and Obi-wan on the other.

Dex's waitress droid took their orders and while they waited for them, they caught him up on the recent events in their lives and he told them all the latest gossip he'd heard on Coruscant.

They talked until the drinks arrived and he left them to speak with a new group of customers that had just arrived.

Barriss watched with a hidden smile as Anni and Ahsoka tried their drinks, watching as their faces lit up at the taste and they began consuming them at a speed Anakin was proud of by the looks of the smirk on his face.

The adults took their time with theirs, savouring the taste and recounting stories of previous trips to the diner, which quickly changed to tales from their youth and missions they'd been on over the years.

Ahsoka and Anni listened raptly as they took turns, glossing over the less pleasant moments and talking up the trouble or misfortune the others got into.

The enjoyed themselves immensely, though for some reason, Anni kept shooting her weird looks as she glanced between her and Anakin, and Barriss couldn't figure out why.

Late that afternoon, they returned to the temple.

As soon as they'd landed, Anni and Ahsoka ran off, saying something about wanting to look up some things in the library.

Obi-Wan and Luminara also left quickly as “they had a lot of reports to deal with”.

Anakin and Barriss couldn't help smirking at that poor excuse as they watched their former Masters leave.

Leaving them alone.

“You wanna help me move to my new quarters?” Barriss asked with a small smile.

“Sure,” Anakin agreed with a smile of his own.

So they went up to her quarters and collected the few possessions she had, which fitted easily into one bag.

Luminara had left a note on the table with a key to her new quarters, which they grabbed on their way out and headed over to her new quarters in the Knights wing.

“Very nice,” Anakin said as they walked inside.

“Yeah,” Barriss agreed as she looked around.

It was smaller than the Master/Padawan quarters she was used to, but just as well set up with everything she'd need to live comfortably.

After a quick tour of the place they quickly put her things away and collapsed onto the sofa, snuggling into each other as they made up for lost time.

“How're you doing, after... everything?” Anakin asked eventually.

“I'm... Alright,” she said after a bit. “I just... don't like what I'm becoming, numb to all the horrors of war.”

“I know how you feel,” he murmured. “Every battle it feels like another piece of me dies, and some days I can only keep going with the thought of you.”

"Me too," she sighed, resting her head on his chest.

He leaned his head on hers and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Whatever happens, we can face it, as long as we have each other,” he said quietly.

“I know,” she sighed, leaning up to kiss him. “I just wish I could see you more, once every few months isn't enough.”

“Yeah... perhaps now that you're a Knight we might get some more missions together.”

“That would be nice,” she agreed, lowering herself again and snuggling into him, closing her eyes with a soft, happy noise.

“Do you want to stay tonight?” she asked a while later.

“Hmm, I'd have to explain this to Ahsoka then.”

“I'm sure you can think of something,” she smiled, getting up.

“Probably can,” he replied, and sent a message to Obi-wan with his idea.

Obi-wan responded a minute later with a yes, so he called Ahsoka, but only got her answering machine and decided to just leave a message for her.

“Hey Snips,” he said. “Obi-wan and I are going to be very late if we get back at all tonight, so you and Anni will be alone, you can either stay at Obi-wan's or our place and I'll call you if anything changes.”

He ended the call.

“Smooth,” Barriss grinned from the door to her bedroom.

“Thank you,” he said dramatically, getting up and walking over to her.

She snorted softly and turned, disappearing into her room.

He followed her in and found her peeling off her robes, leaving her in just her under clothes.

He did the same, leaving just his pants on and Barriss froze when she saw his bare chest, eyes fixed on the massive scar there.

“I still have nightmares about that night,” she whispered, gently running her hand over it.

“I do too,” he replied quietly, taking her hand and kissing it softly.

She smiled sadly up at him, then pulled him over to the bed, pushing him down, then lying across his chest.

His arms came up around her and she let out a contented sigh.

It was the most relaxed they'd felt in a long time and they quickly fell asleep.


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A emergency mission comes up...

“Why are we doing this?” Anni hissed as she and Ahsoka crept through the temple that was almost empty, as it always was this early in the morning.

“Some of my men are returning from Kamino shortly and I want to be there to greet them,” Ahsoka replied.

“But why did you have to wake me up?” Anni complained. “I was having a good dream.”

“Well you don't have to come, I'm not forcing you, go back to bed if you want,” Ahsoka replied as they snuck into the hanger.

“Can't now,” Anni said with a smirk. “You've peaked my curiosity.”

“Stop whining then,” Ahsoka grinned, grabbing the keys to Anakin's usual speeder.

“You're sure he won't mind?” Anni asked nervously.

“Nah,” Ahsoka said dismissively. “And it's not like he's going to know anyway.”

“I hope you're right,” Anni muttered as they climbed in and Ahsoka powered it up.

“Relax,” Ahsoka smirked. “I do this all the time.”

She lifted them off and flew out of the hanger, heading for the GAR barracks, which was only a two minute flight away.

She landed them in the visitors parking lot and they hopped out, heading straight for the main landing pads.

As they reached it, she checked her chrono.

They were five minutes early, good.

They passed the time talking quietly, until she felt Fives' approaching force signature and looked excitedly to the sky.

A minute later, the shuttle came into view, approached the landing pads and landed gently in front of them.

The ramp lowered a few moments later and a dozen new Arc troopers walked out. Most passed her and Anni and saluted or nodded respectfully as they headed inside, but two stopped in front of them are removed their helmets.

“Fives! Echo!” She grinned, throwing her arms around them.

“Hello Commander,” Echo said with a smile.

“Hey Ahsoka,” Fives smirked, not one to care about proper forms of address. “You miss us?”

“Of course,” Ahsoka said, rolling her eyes. “The Five-Oh-First isn't the same without my two favourite troopers.”

“That's Arc troopers now,” Fives said, tapping his breastplate.

“Ahh yes,” she smirked, stepping back to look at them properly. “That armour looks really good on you.”

“Thanks,” Fives grinned, while Echo looked faintly embarrassed. “Thank you Commander,” he muttered.

“You're welcome,” she said softly, staring at Fives.

He stared back and began to raise his hand, about to touch her cheek before Echo cleared his throat loudly.

“Not here,” he said quietly, nodding slightly in Anni's direction, who Ahsoka had forgot was there and who was looking at them curiously, a smirk forming on her face.

“Right, yes,” Ahsoka said, feeling a little flustered. “You probably want to get to your barracks, we'll let you go.”

“We're in no rush,” Fives said. “Don't you want to hear about our advanced training?”

“I do,” Anni smirked, glancing between him and Ahsoka.

“I suppose we could then,” Ahsoka agreed with a smile and they headed inside.

  


* * *

  


Way too early that morning, Anakin was awakened by the sound of his comm chiming incessantly. 

He groaned and rolled over, trying not to disturb Barriss as he did.

“Skywalker,” he mumbled when he answered it, not awake enough to check the caller id.

 _“Anakin, sorry to disturb you so early,”_ Obi-Wan's voice said, sounding apologetic. _“But an emergency has come up and we need you in the war room as soon as possible.”_

“On my way,” Anakin sighed, before hanging up and groaning quietly.

“What is it?” Barriss asked, sitting up beside him.

“There's an emergency, Obi-Wan needs me in the war room,” he sighed, getting out of bed and starting to get dressed.

“But you're suppose to be on leave,” Barriss said quietly.

“I know,” he said. “But the war waits for no one, there's not much I can do, hopefully it's not too bad, I had plans for us today.”

“I hope so too,” Barriss sighed, getting out of bed as well and giving him a kiss. “You better hurry, so you can get back quicker, “ she smirked.

“I'll do my best,” he grinned, kissing her again before hurrying out the door.

  


* * *

  


When he reached the war room, the news wasn't good.

Master Piell had been captured while retrieving hyperspace route coordinates vital for the Republic and had been taken to Lola Sayu, which had fallen under the control of the Separatists at the start of the war and was the location of the little known Citadel prison, where the Jedi order had sent their most dangerous prisoners for millennium.

Needless to say, Anakin wasn't looking forward to breaking into a prison specifically designed to to hold Jedi. 

As he walked in,Obi-Wan and Master Plo were already discussing their options with Cody, Rex and Master Windu.

“That looks nasty,” he noted as he approached the holo table displaying the blueprints of the facility, and was currently showing all the literal fortress's known defences.

“Yes, and I imagine the Separatists have added plenty more surprises since they took it over,” Obi-Wan said drily.

“Wonderful,” Anakin said sarcastically. “So what's the plan?”

“We've been discussing that,” Plo said. “But so far we haven't been able to get past the life form scanners that the fleet guarding it undoubtedly have monitoring all arrivals, we need a way to beat them somehow, because the only way this mission will succeed is if we have the element of surprise.”

Anakin frowned thoughtfully at the holo, a series of increasingly insane plans running through his mind, before he smiled.

“What if we froze the team going in in carbonite and crewed their shuttle with droids?” He asked, smirking at Obi-Wan.

“That's so crazy it just might work,” Obi-Wan sighed. “But we'd be helpless going in, so if anything went wrong, it's be up to whatever droids we took with us to save us.”

“Yeah, and there's only one droid I'd trust with that,” Anakin replied.

“Artoo?” Obi-Wan guessed.

“Yep,” Anakin nodded. “He'll be able to handle whatever comes up.”

“Okay,” Obi-Wan agreed. “Well that takes care of that problem, now we just need to worry about breaching the prison, rescuing Master Piell, escaping the prison and then getting off world again.”

“Piece of cake,” Anakin said sarcastically.

“Sir, Cody and I may have a plan,” Rex said suddenly, looking up from where he and Cody had been talking quietly.

“Go ahead,” Obi-Wan said.

“Alright,” Rex began, adjusting the holo to the part he wanted. “If we approach the prison from this direction after we've left orbit, we pass over this outcropping of rock here,” he said, indicating the point. “If we land the shuttle here, it's out of sight from the prison, but still reachable on foot.”

“From there,” Cody said, taking over. “We'd approach this wall here on foot and use ascension cables to reach this observation platform here, which is pretty much undefended, and from there we'll have a clear shot right down to the prison levels.”

“It would have to be a small team though,” Rex added. “The Generals, myself and Cody and a few of our best men.”

“Are Fives and Echo back yet?” Anakin asked.

“Yes, they just arrived this morning and I'm sure they're keen to put their new skills to use,” Rex told him.

“Good, we're gonna need them for this one.”

“That leaves just escaping at the end of it all,” Obi-Wan mused.

“I... may have an idea,” Anakin said, adjusting the map again. “This landing pad here is very close to the prison section, if we have Artoo pilot the shuttle and land it there, we should be able to reach it if we haven't set off too many alarms,” he grinned.

“That'll be very risky,” Obi-Wan said thoughtfully. “If they even suspected something was amiss, they'll destroy the shuttle before we have a chance to reach it and we'll be stuck there with the entire garrison after us.”

“Yeah,” Anakin grimaced. “But it's either that or trekking to a rendezvous point and that terrain is not life form friendly.”

“And if that plan fails, I'll have my fleet standing by to extract you,” Plo told them. “We cannot let those coordinates fall into Separatist hands.”

“Okay then,” Anakin said with a crooked smile. “We have a plan, when are we leaving?”

“As soon as possible,” Obi-Wan said. “We can't afford to waste anytime, that hyperspace route leads straight to Coruscant, the Separatist would have a clear shot against Coruscant.”

“Understood,” Anakin nodded and turned to leave, before a thought occurred to him. “I take it we're leaving our Padawans behind, because, though Ahsoka's very skilled, I don't want to bring her along for this one.”

“A good point,” Obi-Wan said. “Yes, we'll leave them behind, it's going to be far too dangerous for Padawans.”

“Right,” Anakin agreed as they all began to leave.

“We'll go make the arrangements,” Cody said as he and Rex turned to leave them.

“Alright, meet us in the carbon freezing chamber in the lower levels as soon as possible,” Obi-Wan told them.

“Will do, General,” Cody replied and headed off, leaving the Jedi alone.

“I'm not looking forward to telling Ahsoka,” Anakin said with a rueful smile.

“I'm sure she'll understand,” Obi-Wan said sympathetically. 

Anakin snorted.

“You know how she gets when she feels she'd being left out,”

“Speaking of Ahsoka,” Plo said quietly, as the girl in question ran up to them with Anni in tow

“Sorry we're late Master, what's the mission?” she asked, almost eagerly.

"I'll leave you to discuss things," Plo said and walked off quickly.

"What things?" Anni asked curiously.

"To put it simply," Obi-Wan said. "You two aren't coming on this mission, It's far too dangerous."

"WHAT!" Ahsoka exclaimed, turning to glare at Anakin.

"Sorry Snips," Anakin said. "The Citadel is no place for a Padawan, it's designed to hold Jedi Masters and there's no way I'm risking my Padawan's life."

"But Master," Ahsoka protested. "I've been in plenty of dangerous situations before and you'll need me to watch your back."

"Not this time, Ahsoka, and that's the end of it, my mind is made up," he retorted. 

Ahsoka let out a frustrated growl, then turned around and stormed off.

“I take it you don't have any complaints?” Obi-Wan enquired, looking at Anni.

“No Master,” she said. “I'm more than happy to sit this one out.”

“Good,” Obi-Wan smiled, patting her on the shoulder. “You can stay with Ahsoka in either our quarters or hers, we should only be a few days.”

“Yes Master,” Anni said with a small bow, before turning and running after Ahsoka.

“She'll forgive you,” Obi-Wan said quietly, noticing Anakin was staring sadly in the direction Ahsoka had run off. “By the time we get back, she'll be like nothing had happened.”

“I know,” Anakin sighed. “I just...”

“Hate leaving her behind?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Kind of, I just... feel like I'm letting her down.”

“Ahh,” Obi-Wan said softly. “Every Master feels like that sometimes.”

“Even you?” Anakin asked with a grin.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said quietly.

“Well, you've got nothing to worry about,” Anakin smirked. “The only time I can remember you letting me down was when you dropped me in that mud pit on Gamorr.”

“That was an accident,” Obi-Wan said flatly.

“I know, but you still let me down,” Anakin grinned.

Obi-Wan just rolled his eyes.

“Come on, we've got a mission to prepare for,” he said, walking off.

“You go ahead,” Anakin said. “I just want to say goodbye to Barriss.”

“Alright, don't be too long though,” Obi-Wan told him.

“I won't be,” Anakin promised and walked off quickly.

He swiftly retraced his steps and in no time was back outside Barriss's door.

She'd obviously felt him coming and opened the door before he'd had the chance to knock and took one look at his face before sighing.

“When are you leaving?” She asked.

“Soon,” he sighed. “Master Piell's been captured with information vital to the Republic, we're deploying in a few hours and I just wanted to say goodbye before we get frozen.”

“Frozen?” Barriss asked, looking concerned.

“Yeah, we're infiltrating the Citadel and the only way to get past their sensors is to be frozen in carbonite, and we'll probably lose our bond while I'm frozen as well,” he told her.

Barriss paled slightly at the mention of the Citadel, they both new the horror stories that the younglings told about the place built to contain mad Jedi, but nodded all the same.

“Be careful,” she said, glancing down the hall to make sure it was clear before giving him a quick kiss.

“I will,” he promised, giving her a last kiss on the forehead before walking away. “Oh, keep an eye out for Ahsoka as well, we're not taking her with us for this one and she's a bit upset with me,” he added with a grimace.

“Alright,” Barriss sighed, lips twitching slightly.

“I'll see you in a few days then,” he said with a wave.

“Yeah, see you,” Barriss said with a sad smile.

With a last look, Anakin turned and walked away, heading for the lower levels of the temple

When he reached the carbon freezing chamber, he found most of the team had already assembled.

“That was quick,” he commented as he walked over to where Rex and Fives were talking.

“We're the Grand Army, not the Senate,” Rex told him with a serious look. “We know how to get things done in an efficient manner.”

“So that's what you're teaching that Senator you keep visiting, are you?” Fives smirked.

Anakin snorted, while Rex didn't respond, aside from glaring at Fives briefly before turning his attention back to Anakin.

“We're ready to go Sir, General Kenobi is just making the final preparations to the freezing machine, then...”

“We die,” Fives said, grinning.

Rex just glared at him and walked away, feeling unusually irritated for some reason.

“What's eating him?” Anakin asked curiously.

“I don't know,” Fives said, glancing after the Captain. “He's been like that since we got this mission.”

“I'll have a talk to him, though maybe he's just regretting promoting you to Arc trooper,” Anakin grinned. “And welcome back, by the way,” he added. “That armour looks good on you.”

“Thank you General,” Fives grinned, unconsciously brushing his pauldron.

“Ahsoka seen you yet?” Anakin asked.

“Yes Sir, she was there to meet us when we got back,” Fives said. “She was quite impressed, said it looks really good on me,” He added seeming a little flustered by that, but Anakin brushed it off as being self conscious of his new position. 

“Good,” Anakin smiled, clapping him on the shoulder as the carbon freezing machines fired up.

“Right, you better get ready, I'll just have a chat with Rex,” Anakin said.

“Yes Sir,” Fives nodded and went to join Echo and the rest of the 501st men that were coming.

Meanwhile, Anakin headed over to Rex, who was typing aggressively on his datapad.

“You alright Rex?” He asked as he reached him.

“Yes Sir, I'm fine,” Rex replied, not looking up at him.

Anakin didn't respond, merely raising an eyebrow at him.

After a few moments, Rex looked up at him, saw the look and sighed, seeming to sag slightly.

“Fine, I'm not fine, but we have a mission to complete, can't afford to be distracted,” Rex muttered.

“Okay then,” Anakin nodded, turning to leave before a small noise from Rex stopped him.

“When we get back though... could I talk with you?” Rex asked quietly.

“Of course,” Anakin said, gripping his shoulder. “Anytime you need to, just come and find me.”

“Thank you Sir,” Rex said in relief as Obi-Wan called them over.

“Well, here goes nothing,” Anakin muttered to himself.

  


* * *

  


Though Barriss was expecting it, it was still a shock when she felt Anakin's presence suddenly vanish and their bond go silent.

She let out a quiet gasp and almost got out of her chair before she caught herself and relaxed.

“It's all part of the plan,” she whispered to herself and returned to her holo book.

She'd decided to start learning some advanced mind healing techniques before she returned to the front lines and was just reading through a section on brainwashing and how to heal it when there was a knock on the door.

By their force signatures she could tell it was Ahsoka and Anni as she got up to answer the door.

“Hey,” Ahsoka grinned when she opened the door. “Sorry to bother you, but can Anni stay with you for a couple of days, Skyguy changed his mind and wants me to come now.”

“Of course,” Barriss said, giving Anni a smile.

Anni didn't look too happy about this and only half heartedly returned the smile, a faint sense of guilt coming off her.

“Thanks, I owe you one,” Ahsoka said, already running off.

Barriss shook her head, then turned back to Anni.

“Come in, we'll get you settled, I was just studying.”

“I don't want to be a bother,” Anni said, following her in.

“It's not bother,” Barriss assured her. “I needed a break anyway.”

“What are you studying?” Anni asked.

“An advanced mind healing technique,” Barriss replied.

“Cool,” Anni said, “I've always wanted to learn some healing.”

“If you want, I could show you a couple of basic things,” Barriss offered.

“Okay,” Anni exclaimed excitedly, looking happier but still having a feeling of guilt about her.

So they spent much of the afternoon practising the technique for healing bruises and minor scrapes and by evening, Anni almost had it mastered.

“Just keep practising that and once you've got it down I'll show you something else.”

“Okay,” Anni nodded, looking very pleased with herself.

“Now, are you hungry?”

“Yes,” Anni said with a grin.

“Alright,” Barriss said, heading for the kitchen. “I'll cook us some dinner.”

She did and half a hour later they sat down at the table and ate in silence, their thoughts on their friends heading for the Citadel.

“Ahsoka's going to be in so much trouble when they get back,” Anni muttered.

“What do you mean?” Barriss asked, though she had a pretty good idea.

“Anakin never changed his mind,” Anni admitted. “She went to sneak off with them.”

“Ahh...” Barriss sighed.

“I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner,” Anni said, cringing slightly.

“It's alright,” Barriss said soothingly. “When Ahsoka wants to do something, very little can stop her.”

“I hope she doesn't get into too much trouble though,” Anni whispered.

“She'll be fine, Anakin's usually pretty relaxed when it comes to her misbehaviour,” Barriss smirked.

“She just has to survive the Citadel,” Anni murmured, looking forlorn.

“Yeah, but they'll be fine, we've been through some pretty tough situations together and I know they can handle it,” Barriss said reassuringly.

“I hope so,” Anni whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Leave a comment if you liked it.


End file.
